Gabrielle
by toledo girl
Summary: A young girl soon enters House's life when he finds out he has a daughter. What happens when she decides to play match maker while she has to stay with him? Huddy.
1. Gabrielle

**Okay, this is my first fanfic for House. So, be gentle. Also, I should mention that this is set in the fifth season. Not really a specific time though. Tell me what you think and correct me if I got anything wrong. **

Chapter 1: Gabrielle

A young girl walked the halls of the busy hospital. There had been a huge wreck just a little ways up the road and she had been one of the lucky ones to just slide by with out a life threatening injury. The only thing that did happen was that her left arm was broken, but she was right handed anyways. She came to a door, the door she had been looking for. Dean of Medicine. "That means she's in charge," she said to herself and knocked.

"Come in!" The voice on the other side of the door sounded slightly irritated. But, she shrugged it off and waltzed in. What was the worst that could happen anyways?

On the other side of the door was a middle aged woman with dark hair. She looked a little rushed as she went through papers on her desk. "What is it?" she harshly asked. "Oh," she said in realization when she looked up. "I'm sorry I thought you were some one else. I'm Dr. Lisa Cuddy, dean of medicine. What do you need?" she asked trying to act more pleasant.

Cuddy was trying to get her things together for the night so that she finish her things while she spent time with Rachael. The last thing that she wanted was for House to barge in and start complaining. The less that she heard from him tonight the better.

The young girl sighed as she looked off to the side. "Actually." She looked back to the woman who was anxiously awaiting her request. The opportunity was perfect, all she had to do was state what she wanted, but found it a lot harder then she had thought. "Could you tell me where I could find Dr. Gregory House?" Good. She spit out her question and was on the right track so far. Key words being SO FAR.

She watched as the lady's face quickly dropped to a nervous shock. "What did he do this time?" she asked preparing herself for the worst.

Cuddy was expecting her to start telling her some story about how rude or obnoxious House was being. That was the only time that people came to her office was to complain it seemed. Why did everything have to happen when she wanted to go home the most?

This was telling her a lot about the doctor. First she learned that he was hard to find. Now she finds out that apparently he gets into trouble. That's not always the greatest information to start out with. But hey, it's still a start. "Oh, nothing." She could tell that she had confused the doctor. "See." she paused and looked up. It was hard for her to gather her words. "I sort of know him. Well, actually." The young girl just sighed.

"I'm sorry. I'm terribly busy, and so is House. So if," she started. Cuddy didn't want to shrug the young girl off, but she didn't seem to be getting to a point and she had things she had to do.

"He's my father!" she finally spit out. It was all very sudden. After that the room became awkwardly silent. "My name is Gabrielle Zbin. It should be House, but it's always just been my mom and I." Gabrielle paced to the other side of the room and sighed. "I wish to talk to him. But if he's working out there he'll find her. It's not likely that you would forget a name like that, let alone assume that it's just somebody else," she said.

Cuddy stopped and stared at Gabrielle. "Would you like to have a seat? I'll go get him if you want," she offered. This was different. That wasn't what she was expecting to hear. She knew how House was back then, well, the way he was now, but she never thought that he had children anywhere.

Gabrielle didn't really truly know what she wanted. There was a lot going on in her head right now. She was going to meet her father for the first time. So far she knew that he was a trouble maker. Gee, that's great. There's on thing that she knew. "What are the odds of him coming here in the next ten minutes?" Gabrielle asked. She blankly stared. This was all a lot for one night.

"Definite ten out of ten," Cuddy said sighing. She knew that on a busy night he would be walking into her office and complaining about something or asking permission to do something completely outrageous. Either way it was going to lead into some type of argument that would only hold her up.

Gabrielle picked up on the hint that she was irritated and stood up. "Hey, I'm sorry. If you need me to leave…" She knew that she was going to cause a stir tonight with her news, but she didn't want to get people mad. That was the last thing that she needed that night.

"No. It's not you. Trust me," Cuddy answered. She just wanted to be home by now.

"Can I ask you a question then?" Gabrielle asked. She was very curious, but didn't want to get the lady irritated. It was obvious that that had already been covered before she got there.

"What's he like?" Gabrielle asked. She could tell by the look on Cuddy's face that he could be a total asshole, but it was her father and she wanted to know. Usually she would just watch some one for a few minutes and pick up their personality, but this, she wanted to know that she was right.

"Well, first off, he's an excellent doctor." She wanted to make him sound good. "He can be an arrogant jerk at times, but he really does know what he's doing."

There was something in her voice that got Gabrielle curious. It was the way that she talked about him. She would put off this annoyed front, but there was this look in her eyes. Like she was a little turned on by him. Gabrielle smugly smiled. "You like him don't you." It was meant to be a question, but came out as more of a statement.

Cuddy paused for a moment. Gabrielle could tell that she stunned her. That only proved her right. "Where did you even get that idea?" she asked. Cuddy did have her feelings for House, but she wasn't about to spill them to a teenager, especially HIS teenager.

Gabrielle smiled and stood up. "First, you had this small look of disappointment when I told you that he was my father. I figured that was either because you found out that there was another woman here that he had liked at one time. Or, you were disappointed in him for leaving his own daughter." It was obvious that Cuddy was impressed, or stunned, but she preferred impressed. Any thought to get her through the day. "Then when you explained what he was like, you made sure to put the positive first. Of course when you're explaining some one's parents to them, it's often that you build them up first, but you kept that same hint of small vague praise in voice when explained that he was arrogant jerk. Then you gave him a reason to be one therefore explaining his actions which means that you would stand up for him. And all of that would mean that either A, you like him, or B, you really want me to think highly of Daddy, which also in it's own way would mean that you like him."

Cuddy just stared at her for a moment and then walked around behind her desk and sat down. "I had my doubts at first, but now I know that you're his daughter," she said. She could tell by the way that she observed things. Like her father, she could take the tiniest things and build off of them. The only problem was that she was building up something that she simply did not want to talk to her about. Cuddy just went back to her paper work.

"Now I know I'm right. You didn't even deny it. Instead you changed the subject and then acted like I hadn't said anything. That means you have something to hide. Like you're feelings for him," Gabrielle smugly suggested.

Cuddy sighed and looked up at the young girl before her. "What do you want me to say to that? I don't want to offend you by saying no, and I don't want to hurt you by saying yes." From the very beginning she realized that she had to be careful about what she said about House. This was his daughter and she had no idea why she was asking these questions or what she had in mind.

"You can offend me by lying, but I've never been offended by the truth. The truth is just something that you can't change, so you live with it. Besides, I don't see my parents liking each other anytime soon so I really don't care about his love life. Unless I have any brothers or sisters out there, but other then that, I don't care," she explained.

Cuddy now decided that it was time to play her game. Doubtful that she would be nearly as good at it, but she had to give it a shot. "If you don't care, then why are you asking so many questions about it? Questions mean that you are curious which means that you care enough to ask."

Gabrielle smiled. "You're used to this." she commented. "First, I only asked two questions. First, what is he like? Second, do you like him? Knowing the type of people that are interested in some one can tell you a lot about them. Wanting to know what is appealing about them doesn't necessarily mean that you want to know about their love life."

Oh yes, this was definitely House's daughter. She was about to ask her something else, but the door swung open and House limped in carrying a file in his hand. He looked ready to state his complaint, and then give a good argument. "I have a problem with this case," he said setting the file down on her desk.

"What is it?" she sharply asked trying to speed this up.

Gabrielle just sat back down and watched. There was something about that man that she saw. There was no answer as to what it was, but she could tell there was something different about him.

"I can't take this case." he said and then started to leave the office. He didn't want to explain anything so he just decided to leave. Besides, that way he had less of a chance of getting another case.

"Wait!" Cuddy said as she stood up and followed him to the door.

"What? You didn't understand what I said or are you just trying to keep me here in order to be able to admire me from a close up view instead of some far distant glance?" he asked.

Cuddy just rolled her eyes and held up the file. "Why can't you take this case?" she asked.

House reached over and took it from her hand and held it up. "First off, it's from the emergency room from the wreck. They already know what's wrong with her. And second," he said and then stopped.

Cuddy watched Gabrielle out of the corner of her eye. She figured out why House couldn't take it and she was trying to drop hints to Gabrielle as to who he was. "And what House?" she asked.

Gabrielle's eyes widened. She found her father. He was right there. In front of her. Gabrielle slowly stood up as House hesitated to answer the question. "Because it's Maria Zbin." Her voice was confident and she was standing there without shaking. Better then she had expected.

"What?" he asked as he turned around. He saw the girl standing there and then turned back to Cuddy and smirked. "You have servants now instead of using the doctors? Figured you have to pay as much then didn't you? Just wait until child services hears about this one," House remarked.

"Maybe you should call them on yourself." Cuddy said and then grabbed his should and nudged him to turn and face his daughter. "House, this is Gabrielle Zbin," she introduced him.

"Maria has a daughter?" he asked more to himself.

"Yes, I'm FIFTEEN years old," she wanted to emphasize her age so that maybe he would figure it out on his own.

"Fifteen huh?" he asked. Suddenly, he got this blank stare in his eyes and slowly looked up at her. It was obvious that he was remembering the events that lead up to her. "Fifteen." he muttered.

"No I lied, I'm twenty trying to pull over a fast one so that I'm not charged for the hospital stay," she said.

"Oh boy," he said realizing what had just happened.


	2. Like Father, Like Daughter

-1Chapter 2: Like Father, Like Daughter

Gabrielle just stood there and awaited a reaction. She knew that he wasn't going to be thrilled about it, but the least he could do was to just say something. "Daddy?" she asked. Her voice was just about as sweet and innocent as she could possibly make it to be. Gabrielle was about to do anything just hear him say something. Long enough and it would start to become offensive some how. She was uncomfortable enough as it was and the silence was killing her.

He continued to just stare. Not quite directly at his daughter, but his eyes wondered to various spots around the office. He only continued to think. To think about why Maria had kept his daughter a secret from him. Why she would go this long without even mentioning anything to him. It now became clear as to why she had abruptly broken up with him and moved away a few weeks after the had been dating. Every event that week had now become clear to him, the only that wasn't clear was why they were here right now. "Gabrielle Zbin," he stated to himself. He thoughtfully sighed and brought his attention to her. "How long have you two been living here?" he asked. He was just wondering why she had never called him or anything. Then again, they were both in Michigan the last time they saw each other. Neither of them had any way of knowing.

"We were just passing through. It was My Aunt Tiffany's birthday and we came up to see her." Gabrielle could see that he was still thinking all of this through. "We live in Ohio right now. We've been living there since I was born," she explained. Anything to help him figure everything out. It was obvious that he always figured things out. Just by the way that he was evaluating this. Although she had no idea what was going on his head, she did the same thing when ever she was trying hard to get something.

"She ever tell you anything?" House asked. He wasn't to keep eye contact with her, but he did his best. Most of the time he spent looking directly next to her, only to create the illusion that he was looking at her. As he stared, he was hoping for her to say yes. It wasn't like him to really care what other people thought, but this was his daughter. He wanted to know what she thought about him and why she was there, besides the fact that her mother was in an accident. All he could tell at the moment was that she knew where he worked and that she decided to meet him. It was a big hospital and if she wanted to avoid him she easily could.

"A few things, but only if I bothered to ask her. Other then that, she never tells me anything about her past." For some odd reason she felt guilty telling him that. It was like telling him that Maria was ashamed of him. She herself knew that her Mom had personal issues, but she wasn't sure if he did. "Actually, you're one of the only things that she dies ever mention from her past." She wanted to lighten the mood and show him that he was still thought of. "She obviously told me where you worked. She told me that you were stubborn, arrogant, smart, basically any small characteristics. Uh… she told me that you, like me, like to observe and figure things out. I suppose that you're good at puzzles. I know I am." It was all forming an attempt to get him to tell her about himself.

His bright blue eyes managed to focus onto hers. They were his eyes. Unlike Maria's dark brown eyes, hers were an ice blue. "She's right. And to answer your question, I'm great at puzzles. I have to be, that's what my job is all about, being able to fill in the blanks and provide the correct answer in a short amount of time." It was still hard for him to comprehend that he had a daughter and that he could go this long without even knowing that she existed. These were the times that he thought about his life. That he wasn't sure about himself.

The room yet again, was silent. Cuddy sat there and watched the two. Being a woman, she would never have to even worry about having a child show up and tell her that they're hers. Since she would be the one having the baby she would be the one to know that it was around. The situation was interesting to her. She had sympathy for both of them.

"What's wrong with my Mother?" Gabrielle finally broke the drawn out silence. She didn't give it a thought before, but he came to tell her that he couldn't handle the case. How could there be a case? She was in a wreck? There were injuries and all they had to do was fix her up. Apparently not here. There was something wrong and she wanted to know what it was.

House saw her eagerness to know and decided that it would be easier to hand her the file. She took it and opened the thing and read it. At first she had no idea what it really said, but soon enough caught on that Maria would most likely die. Gabrielle looked up and stared as her eyes began to water. "Her head was crushed?" she asked. She watched the two just stand there. "That's not even a case. That's just. You're just basically saying that," she couldn't spit it out. It was too painful for her to even think of it.

"That she's going to die. For God's sake it's not that hard to say," he said. His voice was sharp. It caused both Cuddy and Gabrielle to widen their eyes in shock.

Gabrielle shook her head as the tears began to trickle down her rosy cheeks. "How could you say it like that?" It was pure disbelief as she looked into his cold eyes. "I know you might not care for her now, but she's still a human being for God's sake." Gabrielle turned and ran out of the room. At the time, it was the only thing that she could think to do. What else was there? To thank him? It was common sense that people died every day and that there was never going to be some one that could save every one from anything, but he announced it so coldly. That was her mother, not some stranger that she had never met before. Gabrielle finally got to end of the hallway, a dead end that seemed unused at the moment. She leaned against the wall and slowly slid down until she was able to wrap her arms around her legs and bury her face.

"How could you?" Cuddy scolded House. "I can't believe that you could be so cold hearted towards your own daughter!" Cuddy paced over to the opposite side of the room sighed as she turned her back to him.

"Well what did you expect? Me to embrace her and we could weep about her absence together? To be right now sharing some wonderful Father daughter moment?" House went and stood behind Cuddy. "That may all sound nice, but it's not realistic. We barely know each other. And as for her Mother, she left me and broke my heart. She told me that she didn't give a damn about what happened to me, so why should I suddenly care about her?" he asked. Honestly, he was mad at her right now. While they were together she was all about hiding nothing from each other, and then she goes and makes sure that he doesn't know his daughter exists.

"Forget about Maria then. What about Gabrielle? What did she do to you? She didn't even know who you were!" Cuddy argued. She then just looked up to see House emotionlessly stand there. Sighing, she left the room and went after Gabrielle. House just stood there and stared for a moment.

Cuddy walked down the hall and found Gabrielle sitting there against the wall and sat down beside her. "Sorry about what your father said back there. I guess I should have emphasized jerk before you met him." She was a little surprised at how he reacted, but then again a part of her expected it.

Gabrielle looked up and wiped her tears as she began to softly smile. "It's alright. He's a doctor, he deals with death everyday. Why should he react any differently to this?" Gabrielle really did understand. She knew very well that people died every day and that every one to eventually go sometime. The only thing that truly bothered her at the time was that there was no one to care. It was her Mom and it had hit her hard. That didn't mean that the strangers in the room had to miss her too. Although, one of them was her father, which was no stranger to Maria, but she had acted harshly towards him. "I mean it's not they actually liked each other after I came around," Gabrielle explained.

Cuddy just raised her eyebrows. "So, he didn't offend you in an way?" she asked. It was hard for her to believe, but she was related. Gabrielle probably understood him better with out even knowing him. So far she could tell that they think similarly. The only true difference was that one cared about others and one didn't.

"No. If anything I thought that he would be offended." Gabrielle stood up and made sure that she was pulled back together. "I mean, I waltz in here like fifteen years after my Mother lies to him and I expect him to actually act like a Father when he just found out that he was one." She looked down and saw the confusion written on Cuddy's face and laughed. "I know, you think I'm crazy right now, but really, it doesn't matter. My Mother is most likely going to die whether or not he gives a damn. He can hug me and cry all he wants or he can ignore me all he wants, she's still going to be in the same condition."

"Do you both really have to think so negatively? It might not hurt to try something positive every once in a while." Cuddy found it morbid for a young girl to accept her Mother's death so easily.

Gabrielle smirked. "Why think positively at something only to get all of your hopes crushed and then feel twice as worse as you did to begin with?" She sighed and then looked over at a group of people walking down the hall. "The way I see it, thinking negatively never lets you down, which means that nothing could disappoint you, you can only be pleased if you get anything better the complete worst. So, in a nutshell I find being positive very hypocritical in some situations. Why be positive if it's only going to bring you down?"

Cuddy thought about that for a minute and then sympathetically looked up to Gabrielle. It was obvious that she was covering up how she felt about her Mother. Not to her, or to House, but to herself. She was preparing herself that she would be able to deal with it if her Mother did die. "She still has a small chance," Cuddy said.

"Right, and I'll be all the more happier because I was expecting her death to begin with." Slightly smiling, she looked down to Cuddy who was still on the floor and held her hand out. "Let's go back, I need to talk to my Father," she said as she helped her up. "You don't mind if we use your office for a minute do you?" She had remembered that she was getting ready to leave when she had first walked into her office so she knew that it was going to be empty.

"Go ahead," Cuddy answered.

They started walking back down the hallway towards her office. Even with everything going on, Gabrielle still needed an answer. "You never answered my question," she bluntly stated.

"What?" Cuddy asked. She had a feeling of what it was, but wanted to stall it as long as she could. There was no reason for her to be discussing who she liked with this girl and she wasn't about to.

"Do you like my Daddy. I mean, I think I already know the answer based on the way that you have been treating the subject," Gabrielle smugly stated.

"No, I don't like him the way that you think I do," Cuddy lied. She hoped that she wouldn't catch it.

"Okay then. When do you want me to baby-sit so that you two can go out?" she asked without even paying much attention. She knew what the real answer was and she was determined to get it.

Cuddy stopped in shock as Gabrielle kept on walking. Once she did catch up to her, she grabbed her shoulder and turned her to face her. "How did you know?" she asked. She normally wouldn't react like that, but this was beginning to freak her out. She had no photos of Rachael in her office, she was sort of ashamed of that, bit there were no photos. Also, she had no remembrance of even mentioning her.

Gabrielle smugly smirked. "First off, no offense, but your office, and when ever you walk near me, it smells like baby powder. Actually I love the smell. Anyways, second, you were in a hurry to leave. No one is ever in a hurry to leave without a good reason. Third, you took a minute and then came after me. That means that you probably got mad at my Dad and then wanted to make sure that I was okay. Sounds like something my Mother would have done."

"That's impossible," Cuddy said to herself.

They both continued the short distance to her office. Cuddy just continued to her desk, but Gabrielle paused when she spotted House sitting in the corner. He looked a little sorry, but right now, it just didn't matter to her. Once Cuddy walked out of the office and closed the door, Gabrielle was brought back from her thoughts of what she could even say to start any kind of conversation. All she wanted to do was to get to know her Father, and he was right there, but neither of them seemed willing to talk first.

"So, name's Gabrielle huh?" he asked with a subtle tone of interest. He was leaning back in the chair with his feet propped up on the table. He had just popped a couple Vicodins and was waiting for them to kick in. Honestly, he was interested, but there was no way of even hinting that he cared until his medicine worked and his pain went away.

"Uh, yeah," she awkwardly answered. She was just happy to finally hear him speak to her. Gabrielle stepped forward and sat down on the table in which his feet were on. She made sure that she didn't even touch him, but it still felt a little weird at first.

"School?" he asked. It was such a broad question that he figured it would keep her talking for a while. He just wanted to prevent another period of silence.

"Freshman over in Central Catholic in Toledo Ohio. I plan to go to John Carroll and then intern at Cleveland Clinic." Gabrielle answered. She was hoping that was what he was looking for.

House removed his feet from the table and leaned forward. "What, no juicy stories about the boyfriends that piss your mother off but you go out with them anyways? No friends stabbing each other in the back?" His voiced was lined with sarcasm.

"Why? You wouldn't care about any of that crap." She knew that no one was interested in that, except for her Mom. The last thing that she wanted to do was bore him with stuff that he didn't want to hear the first time. Besides, she could just tell that he wasn't some one to get into all that trivial everyday stuff. He just wanted to know the important things. That was pretty much the way she felt with him too right now. No one ever cared that much about a person's past, they just wanted to know the important events and move on to the present.

House just looked up at her and slightly nodded in approval. "I like that. Most girls go on and on about pointless things that don't have any significance and then complain when they find out that I wasn't listening."

Gabrielle leaned down towards House. "Can I ask you a question with out you getting offended?" she asked.

"The leg right?" he asked as he grabbed his cane. There was no surprise there. He was expecting that sooner or later.

"Actually, yeah," she said as she watched the cane go back and forth from one hand the other.

"Aneurism in the thigh. Damaged it a while ago, so now I limp." he explained and then looked back up at her. "I guess I should add in an important thing with that." House rested the cane against the table and reached into his pocket. He pulled out the infamous little orange bottle that contained his pills. "See this?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered.

"In here is something called Vicodin," he stated while he looked up at the bottle. House turned his attention towards Gabrielle. "These pills in here get me through the day. With out them my leg hurts and I become seemingly less bearable to every one else." House slipped the pills back into his pocket and then sat back.

"So you basically run your life according to a pill?" she asked. Gabrielle knew it was both a rude and stupid question, but it had to be asked.

"If that's what you want to call it," he said. House then looked down at his watch and sighed. "Getting late. I'm not even supposed to be here." He looked up. "You need a place to stay?" He couldn't believe he was asking, but he felt like he needed to.

"Thanks. I'll go get my things," she said. Gabrielle was a little excited. She was with her Father. She had never met him and now she was going to be staying over at his house. She got to the door and softly laughed.

"What was that?" he asked.

Gabrielle turned towards him. "I'll be staying at House's house," she said.

"Just go get your things and have your pink head ready to leave in five minutes," he said as he rolled his eyes.

"Yes Daddy," she said and then left the room.

**Thank you for all the reviews everyone! :) I hope you enjoy this chapter. The more reviews I get, the quicker I'll post the next chapter. **


	3. Living Together

Chapter 3: Living Together

House walked in the door and continued over to the kitchen and to the fridge. Gabrielle walked in with her bags. It had surprised her, the home was kept a little neater than she would have thought. This was it, this was how she was going to get to know her Father. She was slowly finding out why she was the way she was. She found it amazing how she could be so much like some one and never had met them before. "You can just leave your things right there for now." He turned and closed the fridge door as he took a drink of his beer.

"Okay," she said and then dropped her things on the floor beside the door. It was weird for her, but at the same time, it felt oddly natural, like she had been there before. Gabrielle walked in a little more and then went to the table and sat down.

Again came the silence. House just stood and watched her. She rested both her elbows on the table. For reasons unknown by him, she closely looked at both of her arms and then slowly laid her right arm down and then her left arm and then cautiously lowered her chin and rested it on her arm.

"I usually lay my right arm over the left, but I didn't want to put too much pressure on a broken arm," she explained. She knew what he was doing, the same thing that she had been doing all night, observing. Anything to get to know each other. They were probably the only two people in the world who could sit silently in a room and completely pick up on how each other worked. House went and sat down across from her.

"So, what did you bring with you?" he asked.

Gabrielle raised her eyebrows. "Me? Nothing much, a couple changes of clothes, a few books, some make up, a brush, tooth brush, you know, normal things that you take with you when you travel." That was a question that she did not expect to get. Then again, this entire night hadn't been something that she had been expecting for while. "Any special reason for asking Daddy?"

"First I just wanted to know if you needed anything. Second, don't you find it a little awkward to be calling me daddy?" he asked. He still needed some time to get used to the idea himself. It didn't really bother him that much, it just took getting used to.

"Alright, then. Let me try this again." She sighed and looked up at him. "Any special reason for asking Mommy?" She smugly smiled as she awaited his reaction.

House just glared at her. "Cute," he remarked and then took another drink. He stood up and walked back over to the counter to look for something to eat.

"Okay, how about Mommy Dearest," she suggested.

House simply rolled his eyes. "A simple 'hey you' would suffice for now," he said. He grabbed the bag of chips and then set them down on the table and joined her once again. He had decided that she was pretty interesting. She had her quirks, so far. At least she didn't bore him to death on the little details of her day to day activities. He was interested in what his daughter was like, but not things that didn't mean anything. She also seemed to get straight to the point with things, when you asked her.

Gabrielle watched him as he opened the bag and ate a couple. "You with the face," she called. Now she just wanted to see how far she could go. It was a game that she often played with others. She was hard to annoy, so in any fight, she always won, and was very used to that. This wasn't so much a fight. She wasn't even trying to really annoy him, it was all just to see how he would react. More or less to show him how ridiculous he sounded.

"Yes?" he asked as he looked up at her. He knew what she was doing, but it didn't bother him. He just wanted to see how long she would go at it before she started calling him Daddy again.

Gabrielle raised her head and sat back. "May I please have a couple?" she asked.

House looked down and turned the bag around to face her and she took a handful. "I like chips in all, but don't you think that we should have an actual dinner?" she asked.

"I'm a single man who is usually at work. What kind of cooking do you think I can do?" he asked.

"Should've guessed." She rolled her eyes. They sat there in another silence for a minute. Gabrielle finally sighed and looked over her shoulder. "Hey, um, where am I going to sleep tonight?" she asked.

House looked up. "Well, Maria's gonna be at the hospital for a while. Better take my office." He got up and Gabrielle followed. He walked down the hall. There was a door to the left right before the hall ended with the door to his bedroom. "Here it is," he said opening the door for her to see.

Gabrielle stepped in. It was a rather small room, but that was all she needed. There was a couch, a desk and shelves with books. "Cool," she said.

"I don't use it, most of my stuff that I need is at the hospital so do what ever you want with it. Most likely I won't even notice," he said.

"Thanks mister," she said.

The next morning went pretty normally. House woke up, got his bath, got dressed, the normal routine. The only thing different, was that he had to share a bathroom with a teenage girl. He woke up and walked over and noticed that the bathroom door was closed. He had forgotten that he was sharing his house, but remembered as soon as he heard the shower running. "Gabrielle!" he called from outside as he knocked on the door.

"Hold on! I'm in the shower!" she called out.

"Well I can hear that! I need to get to work! Hurry up!" he called. House just sighed and walked back over to the other side of the hallway. He could hear the water stop. "And don't get pink all over my towels!"

"I wouldn't have to if you would buy a blow dryer!" Gabrielle answered.

House simply rolled his eyes. "Why would I ever use a hair dryer?" he asked.

"To dry your hair! What did you think they were used for? Blow jobs?" she asked.

"Well isn't she the little morning glory?" he muttered. He just leaned against the wall and looked up towards the ceiling. This was it, what he had to get used to for a while. "Maybe I should have mentioned something last night about my schedule," he said to himself.

"Sorry," she said as she walked out of the bathroom. Her hair, which was brushed, was now dripping onto the floor. Her outfit consisted of a black T-shirt with the Beatles on it, a black sweat shirt jacket, jeans with splattered blue paint, and black converse shoes. "You should have told me something last night."

"You're getting pink on my carpet," he said staring at the floor beneath her.

"Not my fault. You never told me that you didn't have a hair dryer." she said. Gabrielle smiled as she stood there and watched him. She knew that there couldn't be that much on the floor, and if there was, it would come out.

"Again, why would you even think for a second that I had a hair dryer?" he asked. He was about to walk into the bathroom but stopped as he was passing her. "You know, those are only highlights. The blonde pokes through," he pointed out to her.

Gabrielle turned around and nodded. "I know, that was what I wanted. I only get to do this when I'm going to be out of school for a while." She just shrugged as she smiled. "Figured that I might as well get it done right."

"I think I like the blonde better," he commented and then walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind him. Gabrielle stood there and sighed. "Of course, that doesn't drip on the carpet." She then just walked back into her room.

When House was done in the bathroom he walked out and noticed what time it was. "Come on! We've got to go!" he yelled.

Gabrielle stepped out of her room. She was completely surprised. "You're taking me with you?" she asked.

"Yeah. You're fifteen." He looked up at her smugly grinned. "I can't trust you remember? Might burn the house down while trying lots of new drugs out during some wild party you threw."

"Sure it's no new experience for you with all the pills you pop," she smugly retorted. He just glared at her. "Hold on, let me go get my inhaler." Gabrielle went back into her room.

He could hear things being moved around as she looked. "You have asthma and you didn't tell me that?" he asked. That was certainly something worth knowing.

"Yeah, but I rarely ever have an attack. The odds of me having one in the small amout of time I'm here are very small," she called from in the office.

House just leaned back against the wall and thought as he tapped his fingers on the handle of his cane. The same look came into his eyes as he often got when he figure something out with one of his cases. His thoughts were interrupted as soon as Gabrielle came out with the inhaler in her hand. "Okay, ready," she chirped. She could tell that he was in some sort of thought process and decided to step back and observe.

House questionably looked down at her. He was still deep in thought. "Would you mind going into an attack when we get to the hospital?" he asked.

Gabrielle just watched him for a minute. He was crazy. Why would she ever want to do that? "Why?" she asked. No matter what the reason, she wanted to object, but then again, she was going to be at a hospital, and she had her inhaler with her. It wasn't like she was in any real danger.

"I need to teach my team a lesson in asking questions," he explained. The same look was still in his eyes. He was gathering reasons to convince her since she looked like she was still wanting to turn it down.

"Oh," she said. She tossed the idea around in her head. Yeah, it still sounded crazy, but she had no true risk in it. "Alright. I'll do it." There was still some hesitation in her voice as she announced it, but it passed for an acceptance. "I should tell you, I'm allergic to pet dander, mold, pollen, dust. Most often I just get a small allergy attack. You know, the usual sneezing, itchy eyes, but if I get enough of it, I'll have an attack." It was weird for her to be trying to get an attack. Her Mother always told her to avoid those things and now she was being told to play with them.

"Thank you." He started to leave, but then stopped and turned to her, "oh, and it would help if you could pretend to pass out at the end."

Gabrielle just nodded in agreement and followed him out the door. "My hair is still a little wet," she reminded him as they walked out the door.

"Don't worry. You'll be wearing a helmet," he reassured her.

The two arrived at the hospital. There weren't any cases for House yet, so they went straight to Cuddy's office. He had figured that there had to be something there to get her allergies going. They were on their way to office as the stood in the elevator. "Hey freak!" Gabrielle smiled as she looked up at her Father.

House simply looked down at her. "Yes?' he asked. Again, he was going to ignore the many names for as long as he could.

"Out of all the places in a hospital to get something that I am allergic to, why would you take me to Cuddy's office?" she asked. Gabrielle made sure that she asked the question innocently enough.

"Because, Cuddy thinks that she is in control of me. This is something that has no power over and it is going to irritate the hell out of her." House looked back at the elevator door as it began to open. "It wouldn't be any fun if we just snuck some mold of the lab would it?"

Gabrielle just smugly smiled to herself as she shook her head. "Got me there," she said and then followed him out of the elevator and down the hall. They turned and walked into her office without even knocking first.

Cuddy was sitting behind her desk. Her head poked up and she glared at House as he entered the room. "Don't you at least think you should try and consider knocking?"

"That all depends on what you mean," he answered.

Cuddy just sighed. She wasn't about to even discuss that. It was way too early to start any of that yet. "What is it House?" she asked. Her eyes were on him. It was obvious that she had put her other things aside for him. Gabrielle took note of everything that was going on.

"Why are you so rushed to get this over with? Expecting a client in here?" he suggestively asked. He then looked down at Gabrielle. "Planning to give them a blow job with your hair dryer?" he sarcastically asked.

"What?" Cuddy asked as she glared at him in disbelief.

Gabrielle just put her hands on her hips. "Are you seriously going to bring that back around to me? First off, I was only trying to be considerate by drying my hair so that I wouldn't get pink on your towels."

"Try looking for a hair dryer before you assume that that would work," he stated.

"Is there an actual reason for this visit? Or was it just to show me that you two can argue?" she asked.

"Actually," he started and then looked back at Gabrielle. "What is that you're allergic to?"

"Pollen, dust, pet dander, mold, grass," she answered.

House looked back at Cuddy. "Got any of that stuff here?" he casually asked.

Cuddy just questionably looked over at House and then changed her attention over to Gabrielle. "Neurotic here is planning on giving me an asthma attack so that he can teach his team a lesson about asking questions," Gabrielle explained. Cuddy then glared back at House. "Do you want me to call child services on you?" she asked.

House was about to explain, but Gabrielle stepped in. "Please. I told him that it was okay with me. I know the attacks I have and I do have my inhaler with me. Besides, I am at a hospital. The worst that could happen is that I completely stop breathing and pas out, or just plain pass out. But as long as I'm coughing, it's okay. All I have to do is leave the room and use my inhaler." She was completely sincere about the whole thing.

Cuddy just looked down at her. "Are you sure about this?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure," she said.

Cuddy just sighed and shook her head. "There's probably some dust up on top of the shelf. Go for it," she said. "And House, I want to speak to you after all of this."

Gabrielle just smiled as she went to inhale the dust. At first she just sneezed, but after a few minutes she started wheezing and coughing. "Okay, come on," he said. Gabrielle made her way over to him and he guided her out the door and down the hall to his office. He walked through the glass down and stood before the table as she sat down on top of the table. Thirteen and Kutner were the only ones there.

"Alright!" he quickly announced getting their attention. "This young girl is coughing up a storm. She is obviously still able to breathe, but while coughing is also coughing up some mucus and blood. What does she have? Quick before she dies!" he stated.

Kutner looked over. "Blood and mucus?" he asked.

"Yeah, see, I wouldn't have said it if there wasn't any," House said.

"Pneumonia," Thirteen said starting to get nervous.

"Why?" he asked.

"There is fluid filling up in the lungs making it hard for her to breath. When the fluid fills them, the lung becomes irritated and tries to get rid of it with coughing fits." she explained.

House just shook his head and then looked over at Gabrielle. "Go ahead and give them the answer," he said.

Gabrielle reached for her inhaler and took a puff. "I had… an asthma attack… I had… all the symptoms for pneumonia… but you should've asked… if I had asthma… instead of panicking." she said between breathes.

"Excuse me, but most people don't cough up blood from an asthma attack," Kutner said.

"They do… if they cough hard enough," Gabrielle answered.

"And before you start asking questions, every one, this is my daughter Gabrielle." House introduced.

Gabrielle just waved. "Don't you have to go talk to Cuddy now?" she asked. Gabrielle knew that they both were just making excuses to go see each other. This was the perfect time to observe how they act with other.

"Wait. You tell us you have a daughter and then just leave?" Thirteen asked.

"I'll be back." Gabrielle smiled as she got off the table. She was actually excited to see who he works with. But right now, she had some observing to do and some planning ahead. There had to be a way to get the two together, and she was going to figure out how.

**Okay, I'm not too sure about this chapter. I know I probably don't have his house right, but I had to make adjustments so that the story would work out. I hope you liked it! **


	4. Daddy's Girl

4 Daddy's Girl

Gabrielle simply just sat there in the corner of the room in the chair. They were in Cuddy's office and she was observing every little detail that she could. Things she had noticed so far : Cuddy had everything ready for his arrival. House seemed easily willing to go into her office, even if he did know that he was in trouble. Right now they were going back and forth.

Cuddy stood next to her desk. Her arm was supporting her as she leaned against the desk, the other hand on hip. "House! I think using your daughter to demonstrate a real medical problem to prove a point is a bit too far," Cuddy argued. She had easily given in to his wishes earlier, but she had to state her point and make sure that this wouldn't happen again. It probably would, but there was no way that she was going to let it go.

House stood before her in the center of the room as he leaned on his cane. "Why? She had no problem with it? And it's not like I was putting any one at risk," he casually stated. "I mean, it wouldn't look good for me as a doctor if I killed my own daughter would it?" House shrugged as he flashed her a fake innocent face.

Cuddy rolled her eyes and walked back towards the window. "Don't you understand? If you are willing to go that far with your own daughter, imagine how far you would go with a patient. Now I've seen you go ridiculously off the deep end with most of your cases. I know that you know what you're doing, but you have to realize," she said and then turned her head to look over her shoulder. "Every one is wrong sometime, and if you screw up on the types of things that you pull, you could risk a patient that shouldn't have died."

"Cuddy, I'm paid to do things to figure out what some one has. Each test, either positive or negative proves something. It proves what they have or haven't got. There are risks with every procedure done, but that doesn't mean that we avoid them all. Besides, if some of those tests weren't preformed those patients would have died from what ever disease that they had," he explained.

Cuddy turned around and was about to respond to House, but there was a knock at the door. "Come in," she answered. Cameron walked into the office and stopped as soon as she saw House standing there. That was the sign that there was something going on.

"You better get over here and wait your turn. I think they're going at it pretty good," Gabrielle said.

Cameron just turned and saw her sitting there. She looked back and saw House staring at her while Cuddy covered her face with her hand. "I can wait," she said and then sat down next to Gabrielle.

The fighting continued between the two. Gabrielle looked over and concentrated on Cameron for a minute. "Hey, you were the one in the ER, remember me? I asked you where Dr. House was and you told me that you wished you knew?" she asked as she sat up and looked over.

"I see you found him," she said. Cameron was rather eager to get back to what she was doing, but this was important. "You're arm feeling better?" she asked.

"Yeah, pretty good. How's the wedding plans going?" Gabrielle asked.

Cameron just looked down at her with complete surprise. This was a stranger asking her about her plans, plans that she had never mentioned to her. "How could you possibly know that?" she asked.

Gabrielle smugly smiled and sat back. "Easy, I saw you take off a single ring and set it down in your purse before treating any one. Then, I kept seeing you and this cute blonde guy stopping to talk to each other. You two both looked real happy when you were done. I notice everything that goes on around me."

"I can see that," Cameron said. She was still in disbelief.

Gabrielle smiled as she leaned forward, "I guess I should introduce myself." She extended her hand. "I'm Gabrielle, those are my parents over there fighting. She hid me from him by having me stay with my Aunt Tiffany. I would visit her on weekends and holidays. You know, when ever she was off and Daddy wasn't around." Gabrielle then just sat back and waited. She knew that neither House nor Cuddy had heard her, so the only reaction left would be Cameron's.

Cameron stared at her in disbelief. She took her hand and shook it. "I'm Cameron, and I don't believe any of that," she said and then watched the two fight for a second.

"You're right. I just go around making fake stories about my parents so that I have an excuse to wallow in self pity while others tell me that they'll do anything to make it up when actually all they want to do is keep themselves from feeling any guilt. That way they can go to sleep at night and not have to worry about any bad dreams and do well at work the next day so that they can bring home more money. It's all a very vicious, repetitious, cycle." Gabrielle saw the sudden change in her face.

"He really is your Father," she softly announced.

"You bet." Gabrielle smiled and then looked up at the two fighting. "You want to also bet that I could get them to stop fighting?" she smugly asked.

"No one could," Cameron said.

"Wanna put five bucks on it?" Gabrielle asked.

"Sure, I've got nothing better to do anyways," she said.

Gabrielle got up and smiled. "Alright, prepare to be amazed," she said and then walked over in between the two. "Hey! Mom and Dad!" she yelled.

The room was covered in complete silence. Cameron just sat back and watched. She figured that this would only last a minute or so.

"What did you call me?" Cuddy asked as she turned her attention away from House and over towards Gabrielle.

"If you heard it, that's what I called you." Gabrielle smiled and paced a little back and forth while she talked. "You know, you two are VERY repetitious when you fight. It's like you're both trying so hard to find an excuse to get to stay in the same room with each other. It's really quite funny what I noticed with you two, even while I was talking to Cameron." Gabrielle looked back and smiled at Cameron who seemed to find this whole thing very interesting. She then turned to face Cuddy and folded her arms as well as she could. "You first," she announced.

"I gotta hear this, what did I do?" she asked. It was obvious from her voice that she was stressed out. Worn down by her previous argument and was not willing to get herself into another one.

"Okay, you told him that most of his treatments are completely, just, out there," she stated.

Cuddy rolled her eyes and sighed as she lowered her head into her hand and held on to her forehead. "What does that have to do with anything?" she asked while lifting her head back up.

"Easy. That means that you have already run this past him. You were just looking for a reason to call him and get him back here. Besides, I'm not a patient. The patients are your responsibly, not every one who walks in here, you know that just as well as I do. What he does to me is up to him. Now if I gave him the permission, don't you think that I was okay with it? Besides, there was nothing that lead to either a case in court or a case in your hospital. I was perfectly safe and had no way or intention of suing any one." Gabriella just stepped back to see her reaction. To her, the reaction was sometimes more important than what she had said.

Cuddy stood there and stared at her. "You know as a boss, I have to say that to him. I really actually have to tell him. I know it's like warning some one not to play with fire, but I have to. If you want to confuse that with something else, go right ahead."

Gabrielle laughed. "Right! You have to do that for your patients! Not after you okayed him to do something with his daughter who told him it was okay! I'm not even a patient here!" Gabrielle then turned around, leaving Cuddy slightly confused and amazed, and faced House. "And you," she started.

"Go for it," he said as he leaned over on his cane. "What's the worst a kid can do to me?" he asked.

"I know that you never actually follow the rules do you?" she asked.

"Hmm…" He looked up towards the ceiling for a second. "Nope." He brought his attention back down to Gabrielle.

"Well, then why did you come down here to her office. You of all people should know that this was basically a pointless meaning. Besides, it was your idea to come here this morning and let her know what you were doing in the first place. With me that was unnecessary. You just came here because you wanted to. Because you like her," she stated and then stood there silently for a minute.

"Great! With the exception of a few flaws," he smugly stated.

"Yeah? What?" she asked.

"You forgot to mention the fact that I just try to irritate the hell out of her, and second, I think she's sexy and I would love to get under her skirt, but other then that, I don't, as you would say, like her," he said.

"Please, if you wanted to show her who's boss you wouldn't have come the second time. If it's not hospital business then it doesn't matter. You just came because you wanted to," she said. Gabrielle watched the two for a second and then turned to Cameron. "See it wasn't that hard." Cameron started to go for her money, Gabrielle stopped her. "No, I lied, Cuddy's not my Mom, I've never seen her before I showed up at this place. Cripple here on the other hand, he's my Dad." Gabrielle then turned to Cuddy. "Remember, I'll watch the baby when ever. You seem to be harder to get to go out then he is. All you have to do for him to tell him that it's a woman wearing a low cut dress and he'll go anywhere." She turned back and sweetly smiled at House. "Love you." And with that she walked out of the room.

"Right," House answered as he watched her leave.

Gabrielle walked around the hospital until she got to her Mother's room. It had been something that she had been planning on doing since last night. She stepped into the room. It was dark, and the blinds were closed. Everything was terribly quiet, except for the background noises that were being made out in the halls. Gabrielle heavily sighed as she slowly closed the door behind her. She took a few steps closer and started to cry at the sight of Maria. "Mom?" she asked. There was no response as her body lay lifelessly on the bed. Gabrielle finally stepped up and stood beside the bed. She could barely look down at her, her face was all bruised and swollen. There were stitches in various places, patches and bandages over the wounds.

"_Mom! Where are you at?" Gabrielle called out. She had gotten out from under the car with out much damage. She knew her arm was done in, and that she had a few bruises and small cuts, but other then that, she was fine and she knew that she was going to be fine. _

"_Over here!" she called out. Gabrielle stepped around to the front of the car and smiled as she saw her. She seemed to be about the same as Gabrielle, only minor damage done. Gabrielle started to walk towards her, but she stopped. "I'm fine Gabi! Just go find your cell phone or go up the road and find some one who has one and get some help. My leg is trapped and I'm afraid I might do worse to it if I try and get out," she explained. _

_Gabrielle looked up the hill and saw the other car up there. "Okay, let me go see if t they're alright up there and then I'll call. My cell phone should be," she started but heard a loud noise and screaming. "MOM!" she screamed. The car up the hill had started to roll down. Gabrielle cringed and fell to her knees as soon as she heard the crash. It had hit directly into the side of their car, right where her mother was. "MOM?" she asked. There was no response. _

Gabrielle tightly closed her eyes as she turned her head off to the side. "I'm sorry Mom," she stated and then slowly opened her eyes. She painfully looked down at Maria again. She grabbed her hand and leaned down and kissed her cheek. "I love you," she said and then turned and left the room.

House and Cuddy walked side by side down the hall. "I think Gabrielle wants us to go out," House said and then turned towards Cuddy, "and apparently she wants you to wear a VERY low cut dress."

"If you were actually listening, she called you easy. She said that you would go out with any woman with a low cut dress," Cuddy argued.

"And she called you hard to get, that's one of the funniest things I've heard in my life," House said.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Cuddy asked.

"It means exactly what I said," he answered. The two stopped as soon as they got to his office and they saw Gabrielle inside. She sat there on the floor against the wall as she threw the ball against the opposite wall.

"That looks familiar," Cuddy said as she stared at her for a minute. She then looked up at House. "It looks like something's wrong, maybe you should go talk to her."

"Alright, I'll give it a shot. Just don't expect any great turn around from last time," House said as he started towards the door.

"Just don't send her out crying like last time," Cuddy said and then continued walking down the hall.

House opened the door and stood there for a second after he cautiously closed the door behind him. He just watched the ball go back and forth in the room. "I'm sorry, you want me to leave?" Gabrielle asked without looking up at him.

House hesitated for a moment as he thought about what to say. "Nope," he said and then walked over and sat down at his desk. "Something wrong?" He was going to have a hard time with this. He hated talking to people about their problems, but he had to this time. It was his daughter.

Gabrielle looked up with curiosity. "You actually want to hear my problems?" she asked.

House sighed. "Sure," he said.

"I went and saw my Mother. I don't think she'll make it." She looked forward and dropped her head. "Even if she does, I've already lost my mother. I saw what that car did, and I saw her in there. When or even if she wakes up, that won't be my Mother." Gabrielle sat there frozen as she thought about her last visit.

House was in no way prepared to handle this. He had no idea what to tell her. "You're right. We all took a look at the x-rays. There was severe brain damage. She does have a chance of surviving this, but she wouldn't remember anything and her personality would completely disappear." His voice was low and steady. He looked over to see how Gabrielle was handling that. She was still in the same position so he thought he would ask her a question. "What would you rather happen?" Probably not the best one that he could have asked, but it could help a little.

Gabrielle quickly looked up and widened her eyes. She then slowly shook her head and kept her head down as she looked over towards House. "As bad and awful as it sounds, I think I would rather see her die than to see her go through life some emotionless robot. I couldn't do it. I couldn't face her every day and be reminded of last night."Gabrielle just sighed. "Maybe that's why I feel so bad, because I know that I would rather have her die and completely out of my life rather then pick up a few more responsibilities around the house."

"It's not awful to wish some one out of pain," he said. House then got up and went for the door. Gabrielle blankly looked up and followed him with her eyes as he left. That was something that she needed to hear. Just to know that she wasn't being the horrible person that she thought she was for a while. "Thank you Daddy," she quietly said to herself and then went back to tossing the ball around the room.

House walked back and checked on her through the glass. He softly grinned at her and then left again.

**Hope no one was disappointed with this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it and please review. : ) Thank you everyone who has either favorited this story or chose to be alerted when I update and thank you for all of the reviews so far!! :D**


	5. Gabrielle's Meddling

Chapter 5: Gabrielle's Meddling

It was later in the night as Gabrielle sat on the couch with her laptop. She was working on her report for school. She took along her work since she know that she would be away from school for a long time. The report was on human emotions. So far she didn't have much, but after her little stay with her Father, she figured that she would have a lot.

"Damn it," she said as an add popped up on the screen. Gabrielle was becoming a little stressed since her report wasn't going the way that it was supposed to go. "I wish I could just get this," she started, but the add on the page caught her eye just as she was about to exit out of it. "Free web dating service," she read to herself. She looked up and smugly smirked. "That's it," she quietly announced and then got up and went out to go find her Dad. "Hey druggy!" she called out as she stepped out and saw him taking his pills.

"Yes my pink princess?" he mockingly asked. This had to end sometime. Anytime. Maybe.

"Haha, very funny," she retorted. "You got an email address?" she asked.

House just watched her. "Yeah," he answered with hesitation. "Why?" he asked.

Gabrielle had to play this out right. She leaned against the door frame and shrugged. "I thought that it might be nice to keep in touch after we part," she said. There was a true sincerity in her eyes. She was obviously very used to lying, and a good actress. Although, she never did want to ever lose contact with her Father. There was no acting there, but right now she had more important things to focus on.

"Okay," he said and then went over to his desk and wrote it down and then handed it to her. "Just don't think this means that you can start telling me about those meaningless details about your social life."

"What about chain letters?" she asked.

"Oh that's a must. You don't know how many patients that we get who had forgotten to forward their email. Most of them just end up dying," he sarcastically stated as he walked away.

Gabrielle just rolled her eyes and then went back into her room. She made sure to close the door behind her and then hurried over to her laptop. She opened up her email and emailed her Father. "Dad, just wanted to let you know that this was my email address so that you had it. Love you, Gabi." That sounded good, so she sent it. Then, she went and created a new email address and decided to write him another email using that address.

_Hello,_

That's a good start. She knew that she had to try and think like a woman who was terribly turned on to do this. All she had to do was think about the boyfriend that she left behind, and pretend that this wasn't going to her Dad. "Okay, let's do this," she said to herself. "Just keep thinking, Tony Richards, Tony Richards."

_Well, first off, you're probably wondering where I got this email address from. Let's just say that I know you. I have admired you for quite a while._

"Oh God, this is going to be interesting," she said to herself.

_Everything you do seems to turn me on. I often have to cover my feelings, usually by just leaving the room and longing to be in your warm embrace. You don't know how long I have wished to be a part of your team just so that I can be with you. What would be better would be me as a patient so that you could finally see me naked. Although, we may not have to wait for that, if you're interested. _

"Wait, where am I going with this?" she asked herself. She studied it for a minute. Gabrielle was going to name a restaurant, but didn't know any out here. "Oh," she said as she remembered one.

_Meet me at Micelli's at eight tomorrow night. Just let me know if you'll be there by six. Oh, and just to let you know, in case you might be thinking of turning me down, I'm VERY secure with my body and have absolutely no problem showing it off. Yes, that means that I'm known to have a great figure. _

She looked it over and sent it. "That was harder than I thought," she said trying to get over the awkwardness of writing that. Well, now there was no time to, she had something else to do. Gabrielle got up and quietly went to the door. She cracked it open and saw House at the piano. His playing was soothing to her and she loved to listen to it, but right now was not the time. "Good, he won't hear it," she said as she closed the door.

Gabrielle walked back over to her laptop and pulled up the yellow pages. Once she found what she wanted, she grabbed her cell phone. "Hello?" she responded to the voice on the other end. "Yes, this is Margaret Gatlin." She wanted to make sure that no one found out who was doing this. "I would like to have a bouquet of roses sent to Princeton-Plainsboro Hospital please." Gabrielle smiled as she paused to listen to the guy on the other end. She also wanted to make sure that she could still hear the piano, which she could. "Send them to a Lisa Cuddy." She had to pause again. "No room number, she works there. Dean of Medicine. It can't be that hard to find, I found it," she said and then widely grinned. "Yes, I would like a card." She smugly smirked. "What should it read? Um, Dear Lisa, I have always admired you. You're the only woman for me. Meet me tonight at eight at Micelli's. Let me know whether or not you're coming to join me. Hope to see you there." She thought about that for a minute. "Contact me at inowatiwntaol . com, from Mr. Right." Gabrielle couldn't help but smile as he read the card back to her. "Yes, that would be perfect. I'll come buy and pay you tomorrow. Okay, thank you." She hung up the phone and happily shook her head. "Those two have no idea what they're in for."

The next morning went pretty smooth. Gabrielle didn't have to take a shower, so she didn't get pink water every where and they weren't late, but she did have to figure out how to get to that flower shop with out any one knowing. She purposely picked the one that was right across the street, so it shouldn't be that hard.

Gabrielle and House walked into the lobby and went over to the counter. She could she that he was handed a folder, which meant that he had a case. "Hey Limpy," she called as she looked up.

House turned and looked down at her. "Limpy?" he asked. "Are you running out of names by any chance?"

"Can go and see my mother?" she asked.

"Sure," he said. He didn't think that she should, but then who was he to tell her no?

"Thanks," she said and then walked over to the elevator. Honestly, she couldn't handle another visit with her mother. What she really wanted to do was to see Cuddy when she got the bouquet. See whether or not she was interested in who ever sent it to her.

She got onto the elevator. All her thoughts surrounded around what could happen that night. Whether or not they would each accept. If they would enjoy the date or if they would end up fighting. If Cuddy would spend the night at his house or if House would stay the night with her. So many things that could go on. Gabrielle knew very well that this really wasn't her business, but she couldn't help herself. She was fifteen and liked her romance. Since her boyfriend was back in Ohio, she couldn't get any herself, so why not set up others to have some in their lives.

The elevator stopped at the right floor. She almost ran out down the hallway. All that she wanted to do was to make sure that Cuddy knew the flowers weren't sent by her and that she wanted to go on the date.

Gabrielle made her way to the office and knocked on the door. "Hey Dr. Cuddy? It's Gabrielle, may I come in?" she asked. There was no response. "Trying to hide some one in there?" she asked and then smirked, "was my Daddy right about those clients, cause I don't think that's very healthy." Still no answer. She went to open the door, but it was locked. Gabrielle, now confused, stepped back and started down the hall. Once she got to one end, she turned around and walked back. There was nothing better to do and she had to kill some time. One her way back towards Cuddy's office, she stopped and smiled. She saw Cuddy walking down the hall towards her office. Her smile soon faded though. Cuddy's face was all red and tear streaked as she quickly made her way to her office. She was trying her best to cover up her face, but it didn't work with Gabrielle.

"Doctor Cuddy?" she asked in complete shock. This was not the way that the morning was supposed to go.

Cuddy simply rushed passed her and into her office. The door slammed and Gabrielle curiously looked over and watched the door as she sighed. "Well this isn't gonna work," she said to herself.

**My first official cliff hanger! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I know this one is a bit short, but I wanted the cliff hanger. I know that this isn't my best work, but please review and tell me what you think. **


	6. Sad Lisa

Chapter 6: Sad Lisa

Gabrielle was about to walk back and leave Cuddy alone, but the sudden thought of her Dad getting to her before the date ruining everything popped into her head. She knew that if he was like her, he could either help the situation or completely turn everything upside down. That was how it was with her, but right now she knew better. She could keep her mouth shut for a few minutes and keep a civilized tongue.

Gabrielle sighed as she approached the door. With hesitation she knocked on the door. "Doctor Cuddy? It's Gabrielle," she called.

Cuddy really didn't want to talk to any one right now. Her face was still red and puffy as she sat on the couch. All she had wanted to do was be left alone for the day. She just wanted to do her job and get everything over with. But, she figured that she could get this over with pretty quickly. Most likely it was going to be the usual questioning that she got from Gabrielle. "Come in," she weakly called. Cuddy wiped her eyes hoping that she could some how make it look like she hadn't been crying.

Gabrielle entered the room and closed the door behind her. She stood facing Cuddy with a genuine look of concern on her face. "You okay?" she asked.

Cuddy just sighed. "What was it that you wanted?" she asked.

Gabrielle looked down towards the floor. "Nothing, I just saw you out in the hall and wanted to know if everything was alright." Gabrielle stopped and looked over on the desk. No roses. 'Probably waiting for me to pay' she thought to herself and then looked back over at Cuddy. "Well, I'll just leave now," she said and then reached for the door knob.

"Wait," Cuddy called.

Gabrielle stopped and pulled her arm back. She looked over and saw Cuddy beginning to cry again. "That bad huh?" she asked.

"Just promise me that no one else here will find out what's going on. Especially House," she said. There was true nervousness in her voice.

Gabrielle was starting to get worried. When she first saw her she figured that maybe it was a bad date or break up, or maybe that some one had insulted her, but this was starting to seem a little more serious than that. "I won't tell any one," she said and went and joined her on the couch. She was slowly starting to wonder what she got herself into. One thing she hated was other people around her crying, but she wanted everything to work out, and the last thing she needed was tension between the two. "I promise. What happened?" she gently asked.

Cuddy looked up at her. Her eyes were cold and emotionless. "You usually know. Tell me what you think," she said. "I don't mean that as an insult, I am truly curious," she said.

Gabrielle studied her face for a moment and then looked around. Then she spotted her arm. Cuddy's sleeve was rolled up a tiny bit revealing a tiny glimpse of a bruise. Her eyes widened in realization as she slowly looked up. "He hurt you," she gasped. She watched as the tears swelled up in Cuddy's eyes. "He threatened the baby's life didn't he?"

"How do you do that?" Cuddy asked.

Gabrielle sighed and pointed down to her arm. "Oh," Cuddy said.

"What did happen?" Gabrielle asked. She knew that she was going to hate herself, but she also couldn't just get up and walk out. That would be completely heartless. Also, there was a bit of curiosity that lingered in her.

"I've been dating him for a few days, and he became obsessive very quickly. I couldn't handle it and he grabbed my arm when I tried to leave his house. He told me that if I leave him, he'll set me up to look like an unfit mother and get Rachel taken away from me." Her voice was shaky and full of dread.

Gabrielle looked down and softly laughed, "don't believe him. He can't prove anything." Deep down she did believe that. She always believed that no one could change the truth, they could lie, but it would never actually change what happened. She also believed that man people can see through lies, no matter how good the liar is. She may have gotten away with it herself, but those were lies about little things, no one could actually lie about some one's entire life and get away with it.

"I wish I could believe that." Cuddy looked forward and blankly stared. "You don't know how much she means to me. I have had miscarriages, my first adoption didn't work out. Now if she gets taken away from me, I don't know what I'll do."

Gabrielle watched her with sympathy. She had no idea what to tell her. She barely even knew her. Well, at least she was getting this all out now and instead of in front of her Dad. She knew what he would do if she did it then. He would wreck everything that she had planned for the night. Right now she was arguing with herself whether or not she should keep the plans for tonight. Half of her kept saying that it would do her some good while the other half kept telling her that she was in no way ready to go on a date. "Look, if anything does happen, I'm sure that people here would step in and help out. I will to if you need me to. You'll get to keep to Rachel."

Cuddy turned and slightly smirk. "You're the one who told me that it's better to think negatively and now you're trying to steer me to happier thoughts," she said.

"Well, technically you hit rock bottom in negativity with your boyfriend. So that part may be over. Besides, most people can't handle it that well. I guess some people just need to distract themselves from bad things and boost themselves up." Gabrielle leaned over and caught eye contact with her. "Besides, it's more realistic that you'll keep Rachel. Losing her would be more of a soap opera story. There's a difference for preparing for the worst and creating an unrealistic tragic event," Gabrielle explained.

"You have a reason for everything," Cuddy remarked.

"Just speaking the truth," Gabrielle said as she sat back.

Cuddy sat back on the couch and looked over. "Sorry about all of this," Cuddy said.

"Please, I was the one who walked in. It's not you're fault that I heard all of it." Gabrielle stood up. "I need to go get back to my Daddy and his team before he wonders what I'm doing." Gabrielle walked over to the door and then stopped and turned back. "Just the fact that this shook you up so much means that you're a good mother. You care," she said.

"Thank you," she said.

"Anytime," Gabrielle said. She walked out the door and sighed in relief. "Date's still on," she quietly noted to herself.

Gabrielle sat in the room with Thirteen, Foreman, Kutner, and Tuab. House stood before the white board with different symptoms written down.

"Okay, so we know that the liver failure is not caused by alcohol abuse. Any guesses as to how this could happen?" he asked.

"Blood disorder. Could have started an infection there," Thirteen said.

"What kind?" he asked.

"Cane boy, if I guess, can you stand still for two minutes?" Gabrielle asked. She looked up from her pad of paper and held up her pencil. "I'm trying to draw you and your constant moving does not help anything."

House looked down at her. "I'm sorry, and I working too much for your enjoyment?" he asked.

Gabrielle rolled her eyes. She stood up and put her book down. "Who here would like me to go across the street and pick up lunch for them? It's on me," she said.

There were random comments on how she didn't have to and that they couldn't let her pay for their lunch.

"Really, I want to. I think there's a pizza place over there. What kind you want?" she asked. Gabrielle wrote down what every one wanted and then left the room. She did it, she got out to go pay the florist.

House watched as she left and then picked up the drawing, "not bad," he commented. The others looked over at it.

"I wish that I could draw like that," Kutner said.

"Don't you think that we should get back to our patient?" House asked.

"Some one afraid to recognize that they have a daughter?" Foreman asked. He slightly smiled as he looked down at the picture and then back up at House.

"No, but it might not feel so good to have to recognize when our patient dies because we spent more time talking about my life then the patient," House remarked. He was obviously getting annoyed.

Gabrielle walked in to the flower shopped and stopped at the counter. "Margaret Gatlin," she said. The woman looked down at a piece of paper or something that Gabrielle couldn't see too well.

"Ah yes, to a Lisa Cuddy," she said. She sounded rather arrogant for some reason. Maybe she was more stiff.

"Yes," she answered.

"That will be ten dollars and ninety-eight cents," she said.

"Here," she said handing over the money. "Please make sure that these are delivered by three o'clock."

"They will," she stiffly answered.

"Okay," Gabrielle said and then walked out the door. She couldn't believe that she was actually going through with this. "Now all I have to do is sit back and watch." She stopped for a moment, "and pick up their lunch for them."

**Hope you enjoyed it. I know, I know, I should have had them find out about the invitations and whether or not they went on the date and all of t hat in this chapter, but I thought that it deserved it's own chapter. You'll like it, I promise. Please review and tell me what you thought. **

**Also, I really did do a drawing of Hugh Laurie if any one is interested..?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=376711204&albumID=614725&imageID=20950270**

**It's on my myspace page, if any one wants to be friend, that's cool too. **


	7. Evaluation of Feelings

Chapter 7: Evaluation of Feelings

Gabrielle sat in House's office as he and his team were off doing something with his patient. She just sat there in a daze as she made minor changes to her portrait. The room was silent, a perfect place to think. She sat there and thought about what Cuddy had told her earlier. So what, she was like her Father, she could be rude and obnoxious, that came very easy to her, but there was another part of her. The part that really had to be dug up from beneath. She cared. Gabrielle could tease people and annoy them and torture them, but she could never truly hurt them and not feel guilty about it. There were times when she wanted to hurt others, and in those times she was able to pick the perfect words. She had an ability to see into people, to get to know them just by being in their presence. Sometimes she used it for the worst, and some times for the best. She then pulled out a piece of blank paper and started writing.

_ Human Emotions_

_ By _

_Gabrielle Zbin, Grade 9_

_Emotions. A word that we often associate with sadness. To show true emotions. We come to that conclusion because people use a fake happiness when they are trying to cover up the other emotions, like sadness, anger, fear, and jealousy. That's why we as humans are such bad liars. We can't even lie to ourselves. We try to control our emotions to pretend that things are constantly fine. We pretend that happiness is supposed to be the normal one. How? With so many how can any one person pinpoint one emotion and call it normal, above the others. We all want to be happy, but can't achieve that if we continue to try and fool ourselves. _

Gabrielle sat back and stared at her paper. "We all cover up by putting up a front," she said to herself. Suddenly, then it hit her. "Fear!" she announced as her eyes lit up. Gabrielle stood up and rushed over to Cuddy's office and knocked on the door.

"Come in," Cuddy answered. She was standing at her desk looking over the flowers that were sent to her.

Gabrielle burst through the door and let it slam behind her. "What was you're boyfriend's name?" she quickly blurted out. She seemed to be a little out of breath. She nervously held onto her cast, the same nervousness was in her eyes.

Cuddy quickly turned around. "What?" That was the last thing that she was expecting.

Gabrielle recovered her composure and then walked in closer to her. "Fear. Fear is a basic emotion, and one of the emotions that is most often covered up. It is covered up by a strong front. You know, people will try to make themselves seem tough to others. To make others think that they don't give a damn and that they'll stoop to any level to get what they want. People who are scared are usually trying to hide something, something big." Gabrielle stood back and awaited for the name she came to get.

"What are you suggesting?" Cuddy asked starting to get nervous.

"I'm suggesting that he needs you for something, like a cover up or something because he afraid. He's afraid that something bad is going to happen after you leave him and he wants to seem threatening because he's covering up his fear," Gabrielle explained.

Cuddy turned back and faced her with amazement. Her face then fell. She stood there with out showing any emotion. "You know, you really are just like your Father. You come in here with these outrageous ideas. At first they don't make any sense and any normal person would call you crazy. But I realize that there is a realistic reasoning behind that." She stopped and sighed. "I trust both of your judgments, but you have to understand, I don't want to get myself into anymore trouble with this guy," Cuddy explained.

"Well don't you think that you should at least know? I mean you pick out the loser as your boyfriend, the least you should know is what he has to hide! It's not a 'I don't see it so it doesn't exist' deal! It's there whether you want to see it or not." Gabrielle stepped back and calmed herself down. She lowered her voice, "Before you play the blindfold game at least make sure that there really is nothing to hide."

Cuddy stood there. She was a little insulted and she could tell that Gabrielle knew. "I know you're just looking out for me, which is very nice, but you don't even know me or Rachel or my boyfriend, or the situation for that matter," she dully explained.

Gabrielle stood there for a moment and then spotted the roses in her hand. She knew who they were from, but why not put on a little show for her? Gabrielle smirked, "can I see the card?" she asked.

Cuddy sighed. "It's not from him. It doesn't even have his name on it if it is, which it isn't," she said.

Gabrielle suspiciously looked at the bouquet. "Let me see," she said.

Cuddy sighed and handed her the card. "Crap!" she quietly exclaimed to herself. "I thought you were bluffing," she said and then handed the card back.

Cuddy took the card back and smiled. "Well I wasn't."

Gabrielle just sighed. "So, you gonna go or are you going to wait for Daddy to come around and ask you?" Gabrielle stared up in to eyes.

"I don't know yet." Cuddy looked up and sighed. "But don't get your hopes up, I don't think your Father and I will be dating any time soon. Ever for that matter." There wasn't any stress or bitterness in her voice that Gabrielle had expected. She thought that she was going to be completely annoyed, but she wasn't.

"Well," Gabrielle said and then reached into her purse. She pulled out a pen and a piece of paper and wrote her phone number down on it. "Just in case you need some one to watch Rachel." Gabrielle handed it to her and then walked out of the office. Once out in the hall she smiled to herself. "I just hope he doesn't screw all of this up. It cost me enough money," she said and then continued.

Gabrielle walked into the door along with House after they had returned back to his house. All she had to do now was to wait for the responses. If one couldn't make it, she would have to alert the other one and come up with some good excuse, or let them go and think that they were stood up. Well, maybe to her Father, because she knew that he would be disappointed, but that he really wouldn't care. All it would do was ruin his plans for getting laid that night. Cuddy on the other hand, might not take it so well.

"What are we doing for dinner tonight pill popper?" she asked as she walked in and sat down.

House looked down at her and smiled. "I'm going out tonight. I don't know what you're doing."

"Well that's a nice way to treat your own flesh and blood," Gabrielle remarked.

"Hey, I treat you better than your other Dad don't I?" he asked as he walked into the kitchen.

"I haven't had another Dad," she said.

"Well, there you go," he said.

Gabrielle leaned her head back and sighed. She wanted to pretend to be annoyed, but really she was happy. He was going out! Now as long as Cuddy followed through, everything would be perfect. Her phone suddenly rang. "Hello?" Yes! It was her!

"Hey Doc, you need me to baby sit tonight?" she asked.

House walked out with confusion. He wondered who she was talking to. He came up behind her and leaned on the back of the couch. Gabrielle looked up at him and got the hint.

"Yes Cuddy," she said trying to answer his question. It seemed only to confuse him even more than before. "I can be there tonight by seven thirty."

Gabrielle hung up the phone and looked up at her Father. "You know, it's not very polite to listen in on phone calls." She then put her phone back into her pocket and then went back to staring at him.

"What was that all about? And how does she know your number?" he asked. The confusion on his face was also expressed in his voice.

"I saw her earlier and asked her if she ever needed a baby sitter and then I gave her my phone number. She has a date tonight with some guy that she met," Gabrielle tried to satisfy his curiosity with out giving too much away.

House's face completely filled with interest. "What loser did she hook this time?" he asked.

"She didn't say. Probably some one over at the hospital I guess," Gabrielle answered as she turned on the TV. Anything to seem disinterested.

"Oh," House said as he walked away. "When you see her tonight tell her that I bet ten bucks it won't work out," he called from the hallway.

Gabrielle laughed and then turned around. "Is some one jealous?" she asked.

"No! I just like to earn easy money," he answered.

"Please, you just don't want to admit that you would rather it be you going out with her tonight," Gabrielle said and then smugly smiled. "Because that would prove me right," she remarked.

House walked back out into the living room. "Now come on, I told you that all I want is a night of pointless sex with her. Don't confuse that with feelings," he said.

"God you're disgusting," Gabrielle said.

"I'm just being honest," he said with mock innocence. "I thought you liked that."

"True," Gabrielle said and then went back to pretending that she was watching TV. She smiled to herself as she congratulated herself. She did it. They were going on a date. Right now she would have given anything to be there.

**I know, I know, I told you that this chapter was going to be about the date. Trust me, next chapter for sure. I hope you still liked it. Please review! The more reviews I get the quicker I'll have the next chapter up!**


	8. A Fateful Date

Chapter 8: A Fateful Date

Gabrielle was dropped off in front of Cuddy's house. As she made her way to the door, she softly laughed. She kept thinking that it would have been much easier if her Dad would have just given Cuddy a ride there. When they each replied that they were coming, Gabrielle wrote back and told them each they that the other had made reservations under both names. That meant that they would end up at the same table. It was flawless, as long as they didn't get mad.

Cuddy stood in the mirror as she double checked her appearance. She just stared with a sort of wishful tone in her eyes. "Maybe Gabrielle was right," she sighed and went to go check on Rachel. As she walked out into the hall, she heard a knock at the door and rushed to open it.

"Hello there," Gabrielle said. She was very excited, but she had to hide it, or else.

"Hi Gabrielle, come in," Cuddy said and then went to the side to allow her in.

Gabrielle walked in and looked around. It was a nice place.

"Okay, follow me and I'll show you Rachel." Gabrielle followed Cuddy as she started walking. "The things you have to remember are, to feed her, burp her, change her, make sure that she's asleep by dawn, if possible and you know my number if you have any problems."

They finally got to the nursery. It was almost dark, the only light came from the hallway and a small, dim lamp in the corner. Gabrielle walked in and smiled at Rachel as she slept. "Cute," she whispered. Gabrielle then looked up and saw Cuddy gazing down at Rachel. There was a nervousness about her. "You saw him again didn't you?"

Cuddy looked down at her and motioned for her to go out in the hall. They both left the room and Cuddy closed the door behind her. "He called me. He has a lawyer and says that Rachel's not going to be my daughter for much longer," she explained. The bitterness and fear in her eyes matched the tone of her voice as she clenched her fist.

"Don't do this to yourself. You know that he won't prove anything. You know why?" Gabrielle asked hoping to get a response.

"Why?" she asked as she stared in the other direction.

"Because, the man's an idiot and there are only two things that idiots are good at. Acting stupid and working with other idiots as they bag the groceries together. The human race as a whole automatically assumes that we can get what we want if we try hard enough. Most of us just take what we can get, but the morons in the other percent tile think that they can ruin other's lives. Instead they just end up making even bigger idiots out of themselves." Gabrielle stood and awaited Cuddy's reaction.

Cuddy turned and looked down at her. "Do you really think that I have a chance? I'm at work most of the time, I'm easily stressed, what good is there?" she asked.

Gabrielle could see that she was stressing herself over this. "You're a rich woman fighting a poor man for a baby. What do you think the odds are?" she asked. There was a sarcastic tone to her voice, but it wasn't meant to be hurtful.

"What if he's not poor?" Cuddy asked.

Gabrielle rolled her eyes. "Please, he wouldn't be after you like this if he was rich. Trust me, he's after something that he can't get on his own and you can't be a rich man in that position," she explained.

Cuddy looked down at her and softly began to smile. "You know you have such a rude way of making every one else sound dumb for what they think?" she asked.

Gabrielle shrugged. That didn't bother her at all.

"But I still needed to hear that. Thank you," she said and then looked over at the clock. "Well, I should get going so I'm not late."

Gabrielle followed Cuddy down the hall. "You sure you still want to go? You don't seem like you're in the mood to go out." Gabrielle wanted them to go out, but she didn't want to have to feel bad about it the entire night.

"I'm fine, I need a distraction for a while," Cuddy said.

"Oh, and Cuddy?" Gabrielle called getting her attention. Cuddy turned around as put her coat on. "My Dad says ten bucks there won't be a second date."

"Tell him to get a life," Cuddy answered with a smirk. She knew that House was a tiny bit jealous, and that made her a little happy, but she wasn't going to show that.

Gabrielle let out a sigh of relief as soon as Cuddy walked out the door. "I did it. As long as she gets there and Daddy dearest gets there, I did it," she said. Gabrielle then suddenly cringed as she heard Rachel begin to cry. "Crap," she said and then slowly headed to the nursery.

House walked into the restaurant and looked around. "I was told there were reservations for House and some one else." he said as he got to the front counter.

"Okay," she cheerfully said. The young girl brightly smiled as she lead him to his table. He wondered how any one could ever be as happy as her when they waited on other people. He saw it as a job that only belittled people. He could never see himself pasting on a fake smile and pretending to be happy while sucking up to the countless amount of snobs that came in daily.

"Thanks," he said as he sat down.

"Would you like to start out with something to drink while you wait for the other person to get here?" she asked.

"Sure, I'll take some red wine," he said. He thought he mine as well get something nice to get the girl happy. He figured the happier that he made her the happier she would make him tonight.

"Yes sir," she said and then walked away.

House tilted his head and looked her over. "I this doesn't work out I should ask her if she has the night off," he quietly noted to himself.

Cuddy pulled up to the restaurant and sat in the car for a minute. She wanted to make sure that her make up was okay and that she didn't look too stressed, or depressed, or anything like that. She just wanted to have a good time.

Cuddy grabbed her purse and walked into the restaurant. "Reservation under Cuddy," she announced.

It was the same waitress that had shown House to his seat. She smiled as she grabbed her a menu. "I saw him earlier, I think it's safe to say that you won't be let down."

Cuddy just smiled as she followed her to the table. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all, although, she didn't know what to expect. It was when she got to the table that her stomach dropped.

"Here you go Miss," she said. Cuddy took her seat and the waitress handed out the menus. Cuddy pretended to smile as she waited to be alone with him. "I'll give you two some time to figure out what you want and the wine should be here in a minute."

"Thank you," Cuddy said.

"Well well, couldn't resist huh?" House slyly smirked.

Cuddy's fake smile was instantly wiped off her face. "What do you think you're trying to do here House?" she sternly asked trying to keep her voice down.

"I'm afraid if you knew that you would kill me," House said and then leaned forward. He saw how irritated she was at the moment. "Look, don't you think that this would have all been just a bit easier to simply ask me out and then not try so hard to look like you're punishing yourself?" he asked.

Cuddy rolled her eyes. She was now starting to get very annoyed. "Quit the act House, you sent me the flowers and I came. What did want?" she asked.

House was about to answer with a question that would have made her sorry for asking what he wanted but then suddenly paused. "What flowers? You were the one who sent me the e-mail," he said.

Cuddy's eyes widened in realization as she sat back. House just sighed and stared down at the table. They both knew what had just happened.

Gabrielle sat in the nursery as Rachel cried. "Come on Rachel, I fed you, burped you, and disgustingly enough, I changed you, so please, cut me some slack here," she said as she walked back and forth with her. Then stopped and walked over to the crib and laid her down. "Is some one tired?" she asked. Rachel, of course continued to cry.

"Would you like a lullaby?" she asked. Gabrielle's shoulders then slumped. "I don't know any freakin lullabies," she muttered.

She then thoughtfully raised her head and shrugged. "Worth a shot," she said.

"Green Acres is the place to be. Farm living is the life for me! Land spreadin out so far and wide! Keep Manhattan, just give me that country side," Gabrielle sang. She smiled down at Rachel who giggled up at her. "You like that huh? Well, then I guess I'll continue."

Meanwhile, House and Cuddy sat with each other as they drank their wine. "How did I not see this coming?" Cuddy asked herself.

"Hold on," House said. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed.

"New York is where I'd rather stay. I get allergic smelling hay," she started but was interrupted by her cell phone ringing. "Wait a sec," she said and then went and grabbed her phone.

"I'm here," Gabrielle said.

"Gabrielle, did you know that right now, while I am supposed to be with a hot girl, I am instead sitting across from my boss?" he asked.

Gabrielle softly laughed. "What do you think?" she asked.

"I think your description was right. She is barely wearing anything. I just hope that the rest was right," he said.

"So, does that mean that you approve?" Gabrielle asked.

"Only if I get into her clothes tonight," he said.

"Again pervert, with the comments," she said.

"Again miss prude, just telling you what I think," House said. He leaned back in the chair. "You know sometimes you sound more like Mommy dearest while I'm out here having a good time."

"I realize that. In all honesty I just needed a night without watching you pop your pills in hopes of fake relief," Gabrielle said.

"Is it really fake if I believe that it's real?" he asked.

Gabrielle just rolled her eyes and laughed. "Guess I can't argue with that one now can I?" she asked.

Cuddy leaned forward. "May I talk to her?" she asked.

House held his finger up for a minute. "Hey, Cuddy wants to scream her head off at you," he said. House then handed the phone over to Cuddy.

"Hey Gabrielle," she said.

"Hello. How's it going?" Gabrielle asked.

Cuddy sighed. "You know what I kept telling you over and over again, and yet you turn around and do something like this? I thought you liked honesty," Cuddy said.

"What I'm doing is experimenting to get to the truth. An questions?" she asked.

"I talk to you when I get back home," Cuddy said.

"You sound like my mother," Gabrielle answered.

"Don't even start that," Cuddy warned.

"Why? You don't like it when some one says that you sound like a mother? Is that suddenly a bad thing?" she asked.

"No," Cuddy answered as she stiffened up. "How's Rachel?" she asked.

"Good, I got her to stop crying. You should have mentioned that she likes to be sung to," Gabrielle said.

"Sorry, forgot to mention the lullabies," she said.

"Oh, I didn't sing her a lullaby, I was in the middle of singing her the theme song to Green Acres and she loved it," Gabrielle explained.

"What ever works. Remember call if you need anything. Good bye," Cuddy said.

"Bye bye," Gabrielle said and hung up. She put her phone down and walked back over to Rachel who was asleep. "Good night," she whispered and then left the room and smiled. It was right then that the thought struck her. "Her, boyfriend," she said and then started searching around the house. In the back of her head, she knew that this was completely wrong to be going through some one's personal things, but all she wanted was to find out his name. If anything, she wanted to find some type of planner or list of phone numbers or something.

First she started out in the bedroom. She had to be careful and make sure to get everything back into it's right place, so she took a picture with her cell phone before messing anything up. She went through any tables and shelves and then moved her way over to the living room and found nothing. Then it was on to the kitchen. She pulled out one of the drawers. "Got it," she said to herself as she pulled out what looked like a small planner. She took the small book and sat down at the table with it and started flipping through the pages. Dates, there were dates which meant that it was a planner. And good, she kept notes.

Gabrielle stood up and took the notebook into the nursery where she had her drawing pad and pencil with her. She had the notebook open to the current week and looked through all the days. The last few days had been filled with her dates. "Mike Suder," she said to herself as she wrote down his name and number, and just for kicks, his address. "There, now I can feel like a complete stalker. No one likes a slacker who only goes half way," she told herself as she closed the notebook.

House and Cuddy sat across from each other over the dim light that glowed from the candle in the middle of the table. It was very obvious that they had each loosened up quite a bit.

"So, my patient just got better, and I have a fifteen year old daughter living with me that I just found out about a few days ago," House said.

"How do you get along with her when it's just you two?" Cuddy asked. There was a spark of interest in her eyes. She wanted to know what it was like to have a teenager in the house.

"Well, she's a smart ass that likes to spend most of her time alone in her room," he answered.

"You mean just like you?" Cuddy asked.

"Right," House said. "I was thinking of turning that office room into a bedroom for her so that she could stay there if she needed to."

"You enjoy it don't you?" Cuddy asked. She sighed and her eyes wondered sadly down to the table.

"Other people's enjoyment cause you grief?" he asked with his eyebrows raised.

Cuddy looked up at him with a sincere trust in her eyes. "I know this is going to sound bad, but I just kind of started wondering how some one like you could have a kid so easily? I mean one night you and your girlfriend sleep together and then years later your daughter shows up. You probably didn't even want kids and you got one right away. Then there's me, the woman who's tried numerous times to have her own children and failed so many times that I was thinking about giving up. I mean, I love Rachel, and I'm happy that I got her. I wouldn't give her up for anything in the world, but there was something about having my own child," she explained.

"The way I see it, a child is a child whether or not it's yours," House said.

"Don't give me that. It does make a difference. I don't think you would have taken in any other fifteen year old girl, but you seem to enjoy having this one around." Cuddy said. She stopped to see the look of content on House's face. "I mean, don't you at least like it a little when people tell you that she has your eyes or that she thinks and talks just like you?"

House sighed. "She's my daughter, I don't care what she looks like or how she talks," he said.

Cuddy sat back and smiled. That was how she felt about children. She would hers no matter what. But still, she would have loved to have seen how one of her own would have turned out.

"Just wondering, who were you expecting when you got the flowers?" he asked.

Cuddy looked up with surprise. She hadn't thought about it. "I don't know. Maybe Mike, he's this man that I've been dating for a tiny while now," Cuddy answered. "We got in a fight and I was waiting for something like that from him, but so far he hasn't even apologized or tried to talk to me, so I think I'm just going to leave him."

"Really? I thought mine was just some horny patient that I had once," House said.

Cuddy rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help but think 'he got the horny part right.'

Gabrielle slept in the chair in the nursery with her art pad laying over her with a half drawn Rachel. It was completely silent until Rachel happened to think it perfect to cry. Gabrielle awoke with a startled jump. "Rachel?" she asked as she put the notebook aside. She walked over and picked Rachel up. "Is somebody hungry?" she asked and then carried her out into the kitchen. Gabrielle yawned as she grabbed Rachel's bottle and started to heat it. "What time is it anyways?" she asked herself and then looked over at the clock and smiled. "Two in the morning."

House and Cuddy pushed open the door to his bedroom. They were both passionately kissing as they stayed in each other's arms. Cuddy went to remove his shirt and he did the same with her until they both ended up on the bed together.

**Hehe, use your imagination to finish the finale paragraph, I'm sure a lot of us have the same ideas. **


	9. Not So Surprising

Chapter 9: Not So Surprising

House awoke the next morning. He smiled as he looked over and saw the woman laying next to him in bed. Her black curls scattered, her lips in a slight smiled as she slept. He sat up and looked around. It was t hen that he realized that they were both going to be late for work. He really didn't care if he was late, but he knew that she would. "Cuddy!" he called out to wake her up.

The sheets stirred and she smiled as she looked up at him. "Good morning," she said, her voice was so calm and serene, he hated to have to tell her to rush home and get ready for work.

"Cuddy, I would love for you stay, you don't know how much I would love that, but so that you don't kill me later, you have an hour to get ready for work," he said. He wanted to avoid making her mad right now and the only way to do that was to show her that he cared enough to send her off to work.

Cuddy's eyes widened as she scrambled out of the sheets and stood up. She didn't know why at first, but House playfully whistled at her. "I love it how you show your willingness to repeat last night," he remarked. "But aren't you cold?"

"What?" she asked as she turned back. Then, to her horror, she realized that she wasn't wearing any clothes what so ever.

"You've got a better taste in fashion than I've ever given you credit for," he said as he sat back and smugly smiled.

Cuddy rushed around, "I can't find my fucking clothes!" she exclaimed. She then poked her head up. "What did you do with them?" she angrily asked.

House shrugged. "I didn't do anything with you. The last time I touched them was when I pulled them off of you," he said. House then reach over and grabbed one of his T-shirts. "Here," he said as he threw it to her. "You can wear this until you find your own."

Cuddy caught it and slipped it on. "Thanks," she said and then continued to rush around the room.

House carefully removed himself from the sheets. He was wearing shorts, he had no idea how that happened, but it did. He got up and limped over to her and grabbed her shoulders. "I'll give you a pair of shorts and you can drive back to your house and get ready for work. Then later you can come back and look. You're not going to find anything when you're like this."

Cuddy turned to him and tried to calm herself down. "Thank you," she said. House went and grabbed a pair of his shorts and she slipped them on. She wasn't about to tell him, but she kind of liked it. Cuddy went to leave the room, but stopped dead in her tracks. "We rode back together didn't we," it was meant to be a question, but it came out more as a reminder to herself.

"Looking at where we're at, I guess it was mine," House said. He found his pants and dug through the pocket. He pulled out the keys and threw them over to Cuddy. "I'll take the motorcycle, and I'll get my car later," he said.

She gratefully thanked him and then was on her way. House sat there on the edge of his bed and stared for a small while. It had been a while since had had fun on a date like that. He wasn't about to go tell Gabrielle that he liked, but he did enjoy it. Then snapped out of his thoughts. "Gabrielle," he said and then headed over to the room he gave her. She wasn't there. "She stayed the night at Cuddy's" he reminded himself and then went to go get ready for work.

Gabrielle sat on the couch with Rachel as she fed her her bottle. The theme song to Green Acres could be heard. "See Rachel, this is the show I got that from. It's pretty good if you ever have a half hour to yourself and it's on," she said.

The door suddenly opened Causing Gabrielle to look over. "Oh, that's gorgeous," she sarcastically teased upon Cuddy's entrance. She was wearing House's clothes which were big and baggy on her, her hair was messed, and she was wearing high heels. "You know those heels really add a touch of class to your attire there."

Cuddy sighed. "I'm sorry about leaving you here all night. My usual babysitter should be here in a few minutes," Cuddy said. With that she hurried down the hall to her bedroom.

Gabrielle smiled down at Rachel. "See that? That means that your Mommy had really good time last night."

"It's not that big of a house Gabrielle!" Cuddy yelled from her room.

Gabrielle laughed. She got up and started to carry Rachel down to the nursery. She cradled the baby with one arm and held the bottle with the other. Cuddy walked from her room over to the bathroom. "Gabrielle, you shouldn't be holding her like that with a broken arm," Cuddy warned.

"Oh, she's just a little baby. Besides, why did you have me baby sit if you didn't think it was a good idea?" Gabrielle asked as she readjusted her arm to grab her bag with her drawing pad in it.

"There are ways to hold a baby with out putting stress on that arm," Cuddy said. Stood in front of the bathroom mirror as she applied her make up and fixed her hair. There was a knock at the door. "Could you please get that?"

Gabrielle set the bottle down and walked over to the door. "Hello, Cuddy's rushing to get ready in the bathroom. She started her day a little off this morning," Gabrielle greeted.

"That's… nice," she said and then walked in.

Cuddy rushed out to the where they were in front of the door. She took Rachel from Gabrielle and cradled her for a moment. "Bye Bye Rachel. Sorry Mommy wasn't home last night. I'll spend all of tonight with you okay?" she kissed her forehead. She then handed her to the baby sitter and turned to Gabrielle. "Come on, I'll give you a ride to the hospital."

"Thank you," Gabrielle said and then followed her out the door. "This is Daddy's car," she mentioned as she opened the door to get in.

"I know," Cuddy said as she started the engine. "Mine is still over at the restaurant."

The drive down her street was silent. Gabrielle just sat there waiting for Cuddy to yell at her for last night, although how could she be mad if she had a good time? At least, you would think that she had a good time if she was gone all night. Cuddy just kept waiting for Gabrielle to ask. To make some sort of inappropriate comment as to what had happened last night.

Gabrielle gave in and spoke first. "So, are you still completely mad about last night or are you big enough of a person to admit that it wasn't all that bad?" Gabrielle asked.

Cuddy sighed. "That was wrong to do," Cuddy said. "I told you that I wasn't interested and yet you went ahead and set us both up without either of us knowing."

"Oh come on, you stayed the night at his house. How bad could it have been?" Gabrielle asked.

Cuddy sighed. "You're right, I did have a good time, just don't set people up like that anymore."

Gabrielle just sighed. The way that Cuddy was talking to her reminded her of how her own Mother acted. She was very used to getting yelled at or talked to sternly. It was like a hobby of hers to meddle and fix things. It was an instinct to her. If she thought any two people belonged together, she set them up. If anyone, even an enemy was in real trouble, she would help them. Yes, some people would get mad at her but she still felt that she did something good. A lot of times she also got yelled at for her mouth. She was sarcastic and rude, and very stubborn, but she felt that those were great qualities. She would much rather be stubborn than unsure of herself.

"What? You can't be giving up," Cuddy said.

Gabrielle looked up at her. "Oh, I'm just tired. I figured that you weren't coming home after about midnight."

Cuddy just rolled her eyes.

Once Cuddy and Gabrielle arrived at the hospital, Cuddy remembered that she was going to be having a meeting her office, and since she knew that House wasn't there yet, she decided to take her over to Wilson's office.

Cuddy knocked on the door to his office. "He's really very nice," Cuddy said.

"I never said he wasn't," Gabrielle said.

Cuddy heard Wilson's response and opened the door. "Hey Wilson, I've got a job for you," she said as she entered the room with Gabrielle.

Wilson looked up. "What is…" he trailed off after he saw Gabrielle walk into the room. He questionably looked up at Cuddy. "Who is this?" he asked.

Gabrielle turned and looked at Cuddy. "You're about to leave me with a guy that doesn't even know who I am? I better go child services," she said.

"I know him," Cuddy said.

"And technically you know a drug addict. Now would you?…" she tilted her head and scrunched her brow, "oh yeah, you did."

Cuddy rolled her eyes and then left the room. Gabrielle sighed as she looked around. The first thing that caught her eye was the Vertigo poster. "Vertigo," she said. "Loved both the movie and the song." She looked over and just saw him staring at her. "I guess I should introduce myself," she said and then extended her hand. "Gabrielle Zbin, actually, if I would have taken my Father's name, it would be Gabrielle House," she said.

"What?" Wilson asked in shock.

"It's not that hard to explain. About fifteen years ago Dr. House here knocks up my Mother and then find out about me a few days ago when Mother got in a wreck. Any questions?" she asked.

"So he's got a daughter," Wilson said. "I'm…"

"Dr. Wilson, I know. It says it on your door and Cuddy mentioned it a few times," she said.

"Right," Wilson said.

Gabrielle laughed as she sat down. "My Father's only friend right? His very bestest friend?" she asked.

"You can say that," he said.

"It's not hard to tell. You seemed a little hurt that you weren't one of the first to hear," she said.

"What makes you say that?" he asked still trying to figure out if this was real or if it was some kind of joke. He knew that House liked to play with his head, and certainly he would go to great extents, but would he go this far? Why not?

Gabrielle sighed and smugly smiled. "Well, when I introduced myself, you looked shocked, but you also looked offended because you knew that other people knew about me before you did. That could either mean that you just hate being the last to know or that you were close to House and thought that you deserved to know first."

He was a little convinced now, but he wanted to try her. See how much she really was like House. That would prove if she was his daughter or not. "Don't be offended, but do you believe in God?" he asked.

"I believe in one God, Father all mighty creator of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen. I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only son of God, entirely begotten of the Father. God from God, light from light, true God to true God. Why would that question offend me? It's what I believe," she said.

That certainly slimmed the chances there. "What do you think about happiness?" he asked.

Gabrielle could see where he was going with this. She wanted to completely throw him off, but she told the truth anyways. "Happiness doesn't exist. It is simply a state of mind that we allow ourselves to be convinced that we feel." She sighed and looked towards the window. "Every one like fools go out and do a bunch of pointless things to achieve this happiness when all they have to do is go home and tell themselves that they are happy."

Wilson was now convinced. Only his daughter would say something like that. "Are you ever happy?" he asked with concern.

"No," she answered grimly. "Emotions are overrated," she mocked. After she saw his face of utter shock, she laughed.

"Nice to meet you, I'm doctor Wilson and I work with your Father," he said.

House saw the group walk out of Cuddy's office and decided to walk in. She stood at her desk and gathered files as he threw the door open and stepped in. She jumped and looked up. "House?" she asked as she smiled.

"Hey there," he said kind of starting to act shy.

"Did you need something?" she asked.

"I was going to ask you," he stopped as he stared down towards the ground.

"Yes?" she asked as she watched him for a minute. She was growing more and more curious as to why he had came in. At first she thought it was to get her to sign for something crazy, like usual. Then, she thought maybe he wanted to talk about their date. Now she had no idea.

House looked up and seemed to be throwing the idea around in his head as he leaned on his cane. He was going to ask her out again, but didn't know how to. "Would you like to do that again sometime? You know last night?" he asked.

She thought about it for a minute. Yes! She wanted to scream it. "Sure, when?" she asked. This was all beginning to feel all to natural. Then again, if she screwed anything up, that would mean that they wouldn't go out, and that she would have to keep her date with Mike, which was something that she didn't want.

Her quickness to answer took him by surprise. "That sure of it huh? I must have been a hell of a lot better of a performer than I thought," he said.

"Right, anyways, call me when you know when," she said and then smiled at him.

"Alright," he said. They both stood there in a silence as they smiled at each other. It wasn't a long time, but it sure felt like it. He turned and left while she stood there trying to regulate her breathing. There was something about him that didn't seem normal right there. He seemed a little nervous, which meant he really wanted that date.

"I wish I would have started dating you before that creep Mike." She had a lot more feelings for him then she ever would for Mike. Besides, as crazy as House was, she would trust him more than she would trust Mike.

Gabrielle had been told that her Mother had woken up and wanted to go see her. She stood right outside of her room as she took a breath. As she had told Cuddy the first night, she was expecting the worst, and with that, she wanted to be prepared. Once she did gain the courage to see her, Gabrielle turned and walked into the room. She stopped halfway to Maria's bed. She looked the same as she had when she first saw her. "Mom?" she choked out.

Maria looked over and tried her hardest to smile, even though it hurt. "Hey Gabi," she weakly greeted.

Gabrielle's eyes lit up. "You remember who I am. I didn't think that you would remember anything," she said approaching the bed.

"I remember everything," Maria said. She looked at her daughter and saw her cast, "Sorry about your arm."

"Mom! It's only my arm. It'll heal. It's you I'm worried about," she said. Gabrielle stood at the side of her bed as she held onto the bed rail.

Maria closed her eyes for a minute and then looked over at her daughter. "Where have you been staying?" she asked.

Gabrielle lowered her face. She knew exactly how she felt about her Father. That was why she was hoping that she would never ask. "Actually, Mom, I'm staying with Greg House. You remember him, right?" she asked.

Maria stared at her for a second. "I don't want you near him," she said as sternly as she could.

"But Mother, he's my Dad," she argued.

Maria sighed and closed her eyes again. "What the hell kind of Dad leaves us? He was never a Father to you," Maria said.

Gabrielle wanted everything to argue, to yell, to defend House, but this could be her last time seeing her and she did not want to spend it fighting, but she did want to say something. "Before you judge him, it's been a while since YOU pushed him away. When he found out about me he offered me a place and hasn't done anything wrong to me yet. I love him," she emotionlessly stated. It was the only way that she could say it without getting angry and yelling.

"Just give him time dear," Maria said.

The room was silent as they both sat there. "Mother? I love you," Gabrielle said.

Maria looked up. "I love you too," she said.

Gabrielle gave her a soft smile and left the room. She then walked out. It was all too weird for her, too frightening for her to be in the same with Maria. Once out in the hallway, she saw a doctor and approached him. "Excuse me? Sir?" she asked.

The young blonde looked back. "Yes?" he asked. He was the same guy that she had seen with the lady she met in Cuddy's office.

"The lady over in room three forty four?" she asked to see if he knew who she was, and he nodded. "Since she woke up, what are her odds of living?"

He looked down with pity as he saw the hopefulness in the young girl's eyes. "I'm sorry, not much. We figure she has about two weeks or so to live. There was just too much damage done. If we tried to save her we would kill her in the process. The most we can do is to see what she does on her own. If she can make it past a few weeks and starts showing signs of recovery, she could make it," he said.

Gabrielle felt her heart drop. "Thank you," she said and then slowly walked down the hall. She had no idea of how to take all of this. She knew that he was trying to give her some false help, and was a bit grateful, but in the end, she wished that they would all just tell it straight. Maria Zbin, her mother, was going to die.

**I guess you can predict that there will be more huddy in the story from now on. I would like to dedicate this for my grandma who is very ill right now, I hope everything turns out okay with her. **


	10. Betrayal

**I am sooo sorry! This was listed right below chapter 1 and I didn't have my glasses on when I posted it. **

Chapter 10: Betrayal

Gabrielle was upset about her mother for the rest of the day, but there was no way she was going to show it. Not this time, this time she had to be strong for herself. She had to think about what was going to happen next, how she was going to finish school, where she was going to live. Right now though, she thought that she should be thinking about some one in particular. Some one very important in some one else's life.

Gabrielle sighed as she sat in hr temporary room. Before her, her sketch pad. It was open to the page that she had written the number and address down on. "Mike Suder," she said to herself. She had to do something with this information to figure out who he was and why he wanted Rachel so bad. There had to be more behind it.

Gabrielle gathered her courage and reached for her phone. She knew what she had to do, just didn't really want to. She was going to just start out by sending a text and see where it went from there. The worst that could happen was that he would find out who she was and tell Cuddy about it. Gabrielle cautiously entered the number into her phone and then saved it to her contacts. That way she could always have his number even if she lost it. For some reason she like she was going to need it a lot.

It was now or never. She held the phone in her hand. Everything was ready. Nervously, she started typing in her text.

[ Hey Mike, just wnted 2 c if u really xisted or not]

Gabrielle sent the message and closed the phone. Every muscle in her body tensed as she waited for the response. She started to think that this was taking a long time, but then again, she was as anxious to receive a response as a kid would be to lose a tooth. The sooner if happens, the better and less painful it is. Also if done right, you receive rewards for it. Gabrielle jumped as the phone vibrated. With every once of courage she had, she reached over and opened the phone.

[ yeah, I xsist. Y wouldn't u think im real? Who is this? ]

Gabrielle thought for a minute and then gave her answers.

[ I just know lisa. Actually, I hate her and wuld have luved 2 have rubbed it in her face in frnt of evry 1 if her bf didn't xsist. I think tht she is lonely and pathetic and tht she is not capable of getting a bf ]

She sent it and waited for the response. This time the waiting wasn't nearly as terrifying.

[ y wuld u hate lisa? Its not ur life tht shes ruining ]

Gabrielle just stared at that long and hard. There had to be more behind that. Now she was beginning to be intrigued by this man.

[ wat did she do 2 ruin ur life? Cant b as bad as mine ]

Gabrielle waited.

[ I need her baby. She wont let me take her baby. She said tht she luved me and wuld do anything 4 me and then she wont let me have the baby. Its not evn hers ]

Gabrielle looked down and studied the message.

[call me]

All she had to do was wait. It took five minutes, and then her phone vibrated.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Hey, I hear you don't like Lisa too well," Mike said. His voice was deep and almost frightening.

"You know how I told you that I work for her? Well, not any more. The bitch fired me right after I told her that I needed a raise to keep my three year old alive. Now little Annie's going to die and it's all Lisa Cuddy's fault," she said as angrily as she could.

"Jesus Christ, the woman's even worse than I thought," he said.

"I know." she said. There was a pause as she gathered her thoughts. "What do you need her baby for?"

"What?" Mike asked. He was completely thrown off by the question.

"What do you need the kid for? Maybe I can help you," Gabrielle said.

"I don't need any one's help. Besides, what makes you think that I can trust you just like that?" he asked.

"Well, admitting that instead of making up some lie shows that you do trust me a little bit." She was getting impatient with this all the sudden for some reason.

"Like to analyze everything huh?" he asked.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that," she said. There was a long pause. "Hey, if you do need help, I'm very good at twisting around words and events while keeping them truthful, you know, like in court. I also know how to get into her house if you just want to kidnap the kid."

"Okay, meet me at her house tomorrow night at ten. We'll both show her what it felt like," he said.

"Damn right we will. Mind if I take the first stab at Lisa for Annie who is now very sick and might not be around to hear of this justice?" she asked.

"Sure, why not. As long as I get the kid I'm happy. I need something to prove to my wife that I didn't kill our kid. If she found out, I would be in jail now," he said.

"And we don't want that." Gabrielle lied through her teeth.

"Right, just be there tomorrow night," he said.

They both hung up. "I should really consider going into acting," Gabrielle praised herself as she closed her phone. Gabrielle then sighed and dialed he number.

"Cuddy? It's Gabrielle, we need to talk," she started.

"Gabrielle? Something wrong?" Cuddy asked. She stood in the kitchen as she started to get nervous.

"Mike Suder is out to kill you and take Rachel. He murdered his own child, now he's after your's to protect his own ass," she warned.

"How do you even know his name?" Cuddy asked getting irritated.

Gabrielle rolled her eyes. She's trying to save her and all the woman does is get mad because some one went through her things. "I snooped a little while I was there. No damage done, besides, don't you care about what I'm telling you?" she asked.

"Yes I care! I also care that I told you to keep out of it! I care that you went through my things!" Cuddy said.

"Look, I don't care if you're mad. Hell, I don't even care if you hate me, just get Rachel and get out of that house by tomorrow night. I suggest that you take Rachel to work with you tomorrow and I guess you two can stay here for a couple days," Gabrielle said.

Gabrielle's tone was so stern and serious that it struck her. It made her feel uneasy. "I'll talk to you in the morning. But first, one question," she said.

"Shoot," Gabrielle said.

"Are we supposedly safe tonight?" she asked.

"Would I have told you to wait until tomorrow if you weren't safe now?" she asked.

"Okay then," Cuddy said.

They both hung up and Gabrielle sat there for a minute and blankly stared down at the phone. She then heard House out in the living room playing the piano. She decided to get up and go out and join him. She walked out and sat down on the couch.

House looked up and saw her walk out and sit down on the couch. He wanted to know what was going on in her head. He had heard the news about Maria and was planning on seeing her the next day. There was no doubt that it was going to be awkward, but something told him that he should. "Need something?" he asked looking at his daughter. His daughter, he still couldn't believe that he had one. Cuddy had pointed out to him that he did enjoy having her around. Maybe he did, but that was nothing he was ever going to confess.

"Nothing," she answered. "Just like your playing. That's all."

"You ever play?" he asked.

"Not the piano, I'm more of a guitar person myself," she said.

Gabrielle just sat there and listened to him play. It calmed her. She really did enjoy it. With out realizing, she fell asleep while listening to him play. House looked over and saw her asleep. That was when he decided it was time for him to go to bed too. He got up and covered her with a blanket. He watched her for a second. "Maybe the kid is a little like me," he mumbled and then went to his room.

The next day, Gabrielle made sure to go directly to Cuddy's office. She hoped that she would be there with Rachel. Sure enough, she was. Gabrielle could hear her cry when she knocked on the door. She knew that there was no way that Cuddy would ever hear her over Rachel, so she just walked in. "Morning," she greeted as she saw her there trying to calm the baby.

"Nice idea you had there," Cuddy said.

Gabrielle rolled her eyes. "At least she's safe here," she said and then sat down. She simply watched Cuddy for a minute as she walked back and forth with Rachel. "May I make a suggestion?" Gabrielle asked.

"Sure," she said getting irritated.

Gabrielle got up and walked over to Cuddy. "Put her down in the baby seat," she said. Surprisingly enough, she did it. "And do you know the theme to Green Acres?"

Cuddy just raised her eyebrow. "What does that have to do with anything?" she asked.

"Sing it and she'll stop. She enjoys that song," Gabrielle explained.

Cuddy looked over and glared at her. "This better work because I'm going to have to sing awful loud to get over her," she said.

Then, they both bent down towards Rachel and started singing. "Green Acres is the place to be. Farm living is the life for me."

With out either of them knowing it, Wilson walked in. "It can wait," he said upon seeing the two.

Cuddy looked up. "Wait! Wilson, what is it?" she asked as she hurried over to him.

Gabrielle just stayed there and quietly sang to Rachel. She had no interest in anything that was going on here. She already had enough going on right now without any more. She smiled down at Rachel as the little baby laughed.

House walked down the hall. He was ready to go see Maria. He vaguely remembered her, but he knew that with the damage, it wouldn't matter. He finally found her room and poked his head in. There was nothing that surprised or shocked him, he had scene patients like that before. The only thing that did bother him was that it was Maria, some one he knew. "Maria?" he asked as he sat down by her bedside.

Maria turned her head as much as she could and opened her eyes. "Greg," she said. Her voice very weak, yet didn't lack any sharpness that it needed when she mentioned his name. She sighed and closed her eyes. "Please state your business and leave," she calmly stated.

House just watched for a minute. "I finally met Gabrielle," he said. That was the only thing that he knew he could bring up. Anything else would have just ended right away.

"No, she went to you and you had no choice, " Maria said. She was getting more and more agitated by the minute.

"At least she had the courage to come to me," House said. He was now truly mad at her. First she leaves him and keeps a daughter from him. Now she is blaming him for everything. "Unlike you who just ran."

Maria looked up. There was pure hurt and betrayal in his eyes. "Since when do you care about others? Since when would not having to take care of a child bother you?" she asked. There were tears starting to swell in her eyes.

"You still should have told me," House said growing more and more angry.

"Most men are happy if their knocked up girlfriend doesn't force them to help out with the kid," Maria stated.

"I should be the one mad here! You hid things from me while you kept telling me that we needed an open honest relationship! And you're right, I don't care about a lot of people, but only because I don't want to put up with all their bullshit! So if I won't put up with their's what the hell makes you think that I'm about to put up with your's? You kept her secret and you left me!" House stated sternly trying to keep his voice down.

"The only reason I kept her from you was to protect her. You suck at being a human. I cringed at the idea of carrying your baby and I cringed at the idea of some one like you being a part of her life. With you as a Father she'll end up with three kids and no home while scavenging for drugs at the age eighteen. With out you in the way I had a chance to raise her decently and I sure as hell don't want you completely erasing all of that," Maria warned.

"Well Gabrielle sure didn't learn a thing from you, she's a decent person!" he said and then got up. He limped over to the door and then turned around. "Oh, and about that honesty, I hope you didn't make that deal with your daughter, because I can be one hundred percent sure that you only lied to her," he said.

"What would I have to lie to her about?" she asked.

"You said that you loved her while just now you told me that you hated the idea of having my baby. If you loved her so much, why did hate her to begin with?" he asked and then left. House was truly hurt as he walked out into the hall. He leaned against the wall and popped two of his pills.

Gabrielle sat in Cuddy's office while she stared out the window. She had nothing to do now that Rachel was asleep. There was no reason for her to go and wander the halls. So, she just sat there and stared while Cuddy signed some papers. That was when she decided to mess with the woman's head. "Do you like me?" she asked.

Cuddy looked up with confusion. "I think you should learn to respect other people's privacy, but other that, yeah."

Gabrielle smugly smirked. "Does my being House's daughter have anything to do with it?" she asked.

Cuddy put her pen down and laid her head down on the desk. "Why must you keep at this?" she asked.

"My Daddy likes you, I know he does," Gabrielle said. "I just want to see how you feel about him. Besides, you two are the only ones who really need to be set up here. There are no other lost couples here, trust me, I looked."

Cuddy lifted her head and rolled her eyes. She was about to say something, but the door flew open. "Gabrielle," House called as he limped in and closed the door behind him.

"Yes grumpy?" Gabrielle asked as she turned to face him.

"You're staying with Cuddy for the rest of the time that you're out here. Then after that you'll either go live with your Mom again or you'll go over and live with one of your relatives," he stated.

Cuddy stood up and saw Gabrielle's face. "Actually, I was hoping Rachel and I could spend the night at your house tonight. Mine has a bug infestation and they need to take care of it while we're gone," Cuddy said.

"Fine, but after that you'll be out of my house. Understood?" House asked.

Gabrielle was truly hurt by this. "No! No I don't understand! What happened? Why am I suddenly kicked out?" she asked.

"Because, that's how life works," House said and then left.

Gabrielle stood there in shock with tears beginning to streak her face. It had all happened so suddenly. Her own Father kicked her out. Cuddy turned and was about to say something, but Gabrielle lifted her hand. "No, please. Just don't say anything. What ever you do, don't say anything. No matter what words come out of your mouth, it won't help," Gabrielle explained. "And don't go after him either. Just, just stay here or, or what ever." Gabrielle stood there for a minute in silence and looked up towards the ceiling. That was when she figured it out. "Mother," she said to herself and the rushed out the door.

**Thank you all for your prayers and thoughts. For those who were wondering, they found masses in her lungs. The only problem is that she isn't strong enough for surgery and they don't know whether or not they are cancerous or not. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please review! **


	11. Simplest Actions

Chapter 11: Simplest Actions

Gabrielle ran down the hall and stopped with a quick halt as she ran around in front of House.

"What is it?" he painfully asked. When he looked down in her eyes, all he could think about was what Maria had told him. It was just like some record playing over and over again. He couldn't handle it. For the first time in his life he was scared of ruining some one's life. It had finally dawned on him that anything he does wrong will directly affect her.

Gabrielle studied his eyes. She saw the true concern, something that she hadn't expected to see in him. "Why? Why would you just decide to kick me out like that?" Gabrielle asked. The warm tears of frustration started to rim her eye and slowly leak out. "There has to be a reason. No one just does something like that without reason," she explained trying to keep her voice calm and steady. "What did she say to you?" she quietly asked.

House just sighed. "Who? What did who say?" he asked. He was getting more and more irritated at the moment.

"Don't act like you're so clueless. Maria! What did she say to you!?" Gabrielle asked. She wanted to keep calm, but it was starting to fail. She stood back and watched him for a minute. She knew that he was trying to figure out what to tell her. "She told you that you would ruin my life didn't she?"

"Look, I have never taken care of a kid before! Why should I know what to do?" House asked.

Gabrielle shook her head and gave a soft laugh. "So? You think that Maria knew what she was doing at first? What about your mother? Did Cuddy get some sort of manual with Rachel?" she started rolling out questions to prove her point. "I know that you have an idea of what to do. I'm still alive," Gabrielle stated.

"Okay, so those were mothers that you all named. I happen to be a father who has never taken care of some one and would never be trusted with a kid. Why would you want to stay with me? Why would you think that I know what I'm doing?" House asked.

"Because you're my Father whether you like it or not and I love you damn it!" she answered. "Don't be worried, I know you know not to let be out all night with a boy, to not go to parties with out chaperones. You know that, it's common sense. I'm fifteen! You don't have to watch me to make sure that I don't get into to chemical cleaners under the sink and drink them! You don't have to make sure that I don't go out into the middle of the road," Gabrielle explained.

House just stood there and thought for a minute. "You think about that," Gabrielle said and then turned and left.

She went over to Maria's room and stormed in. It felt awful to just do that to some one who is dying, but she had to do it. "What the hell did you tell him?" Gabrielle asked as she made her way to her mother's bed.

"What do you mean?" Maria weakly asked.

"House just came over and kicked me out of his house. You had to have told him something now tell me what you told him!" Gabrielle demanded.

"Gabrielle," Maria snapped. "I'm still your mother and that is no way to talk to me."

Gabrielle calmed herself down. "I'm sorry. Now could you please tell me what you told him?" she asked.

Maria slightly turned and looked up at her. "I told him the truth of what I thought of him," she stated.

"Oh God," Gabrielle said as she turned around. "That's what I thought." Gabrielle started out of the room, but she felt bad about what she did. She turned back and smiled. "I know you're only looking out for me, and thank you. I love you," she said.

"Love you to," Maria said.

With that, Gabrielle walked out of the room. She had hated that her parents couldn't get along, but if that's how it was, then that was how it was going to be.

Cuddy just sat there in her office as she waited for some one to enter. She knew that either Gabrielle would return or that House would come in. One or the other. House walked into the office. No surprise. "How do you know that you're taking care of Rachel right?" he asked. Certainly not what she expected, but still, she was going to answer it.

Cuddy sighed. "Well, I know that she gets fed and burped and changed and bathed. I don't ignore her. Other then that, I guess you really don't know. Just use common sense, if they're happy and safe then you did it right. You'll most likely know when there's something wrong," she tried. There was no other way to answer the question. She herself wasn't quite sure of it.

House just sighed and then walked back out of the office. He had the same look in his eyes that he did when he would figure something out in one of his cases. Like something had finally fit together. House walked out and saw Gabrielle walking towards the office and stopped her. "Hey, Gabi," he called as he limped over to her.

Gabrielle stopped and turned to face him. She was hoping the hear that he was going to let her stay. "Hey there Ward Cleaver," she sarcastically greeted.

"You can stay if you want," House said.

Gabrielle stood there and studied his face for a second. She could see that he was sorry. "I will. Thank you," she said and then hugged him.

House just awkwardly stood there and looked around. He wasn't the hugging type of person. "Sorry," she said as she backed up.

"Right," he said. He then looked down and stared at Gabrielle for a minute. "Does Cuddy give you what ever you want?" he asked.

"I guess," Gabrielle said.

"Well, I've got clinic duty right now. Would you rather I take you to a movie or something?" he asked.

"You're using this to get out of clinic duty," Gabrielle said.

"So?" he asked.

"I love it, let's go," she said.

The two went into Cuddy's office together. Cuddy just looked up and sighed. "Dear Abby here has something to ask you," House said and then motioned to his daughter. Cuddy couldn't wait to here this.

"Is my Daddy free right now?" she asked acting innocently. Gabrielle lowered her head and looked up at Cuddy begging eyes.

"He knows he has clinic duty. He still owes me hours," Cuddy said. She knew very well what was going on. "He can take you to do something after work."

"What was that? Has Mommy dearest here never left work to go take care of her baby?" House asked.

Cuddy tilted her head and showed her annoyance in her face as she looked up at him. "First off, my baby is a baby, yours is a teenager. And second, she's right there."

Gabrielle then shrugged and looked up. "Okay, I'll help you with clinic duty. We'll split the patients up," she said.

"Okay, but I call the hypochondriacs," House said.

"Fine, I'll take the hard ones today, but tomorrow you take the hard ones. Remember, I'm only a beginner," Gabrielle said.

Cuddy thought that they were just joking around, but she had to be sure. "Wait, you're not seriously going to have her treat some of the patients are you?" she asked.

House shrugged. "Depends," he said and then looked over at Gabrielle. "You wanna?" he asked.

Gabrielle shrugged and returned the look. "Sure, why not? I've got nothing better to do," she said. They both turned and walked out of the room. Cuddy just glared in their direction and then shook her head and went back to her paper work.

House and Gabrielle stood in front of the crowd in the clinic. "Okay every one!" he announced. "I'm Doctor House, and this here is my assistant, nurse Zbin. Now she's going to check your blood pressure, heart rate and write down your symptoms for me before you come in, except for the first few people."

Gabrielle pulled out a syringe and put it on the ground and spun it around. Once it stopped, she picked it up and followed it's direction. "Your turn," she said to the young man before her. She watched as he got up and went into the examination room. Gabrielle just took the chart around and did what she was told to by her Father. She knew how to take the BP and heart rate, so there was no problem there. Once she was done with everything, she would hand the paper over the patient and told them to hold onto it until they were called.

Gabrielle kept the crowd going and House would do what ever he needed to do. There were only about three or four patients left when Cuddy came down to check on him. "Oh God they weren't kidding," she said once she saw Gabrielle in a white coat kneeling down before one of the patients. She rushed over and grabbed Gabrielle by the arm. "Excuse me, I need to talk this girl," she politely said and then pulled her off to the side. "What are you doing?" she scolded.

"I'm taking patient's BP and heart rate. That's all, nothing harmful," she explained.

Cuddy just glared at her. "I know you're not that naïve, and neither is your Father." Cuddy held out her hand and took the jacket, clip board, and stethoscope from her. "Go wait in my office, your Father will be there shortly," Cuddy said. Gabrielle started to walk away and then Cuddy turned and stopped her. "No wait, I'll come with you. I want to talk to you first," she said.

Gabrielle sat in the chair in front of Cuddy's desk. She sat there and just waited for what ever was coming to her. Cuddy sat there and stared at her for a moment. She felt for the girl, but she knew that she had to at least say something. "You know how serious it is to fake being a doctor?" Cuddy asked getting mad.

"Actually, I was a nurse. It's not the same thing," Gabrielle said.

"Still! People trusted their lives in your hands!" Cuddy argued.

Gabrielle sighed and then leaned forward on the desk. "All I did was take simple little things. I wrote them down and handed them to a real doctor. No one was in any danger," she explained and then leaned back in her chair. "Besides, you have to admit, those were all accurate. I know you looked them over." Gabrielle smirked at her.

"I have a bigger question for you," Cuddy said.

"Shoot," Gabrielle said.

"Why were you trying to help your father out right after he had done what he did to you?" Cuddy asked. It had confused her that they could go from enemy to friends in one minute. She would have never been able to do that.

Gabrielle laughed. "We Houses don't think like most people do. We don't go through the entire emotional show. We both know what had happened and I could tell that he was sorry when he told me to stay with him, so we dropped it." Gabrielle sighed. "You can't be mad at something that isn't there."

House walked into the room. "Yes mistress?" he asked in a low voice.

Gabrielle smiled as she stood up and turned. "She just wanted to thank you for letting her and Rachel spend the night to night," Gabrielle said and then gave Cuddy a quick little smug smile.

"That is not," Cuddy started as she stood up, but Gabrielle cut her off. "I think maybe we should him why you're staying with us," she said.

Cuddy clenched her fists and sat down. "Thank you House," she said.

Gabrielle just rolled her eyes. "You two are the easiest people in the world to manipulate." They both glared at her. The only problem was that it wasn't a lie. House wasn't easily hurt, but if you did hurt him, it effected him. She could see that in him. Then there was Cuddy, she was just plain easy. She liked both of them and really didn't want to hurt either of them, but if it were for their own good, she would do anything and neither of them doubted that even since they were set up on a date.


	12. Life Changing Events

Chapter 12: Life Changing Events

Gabrielle sat in her room waiting for Cuddy and House to get everything that Cuddy and Rachel needed for the night. She had just got done calling police on Mike. She had told then that she had a lead and to be there right after he got there around eight. She simply laid down on the couch and stared up at the ceiling. "And to think that maybe if I did something like that a little sooner after the crash, my mom might now be dieing," she said to herself. She heard them as they entered the apartment. "They're here," she said to herself imitating the infamous line from Poltergeist and then turned over on her side. Right now she just wanted to be alone.

Out in the living room area, Cuddy carried Rachel in her arms as she fed her her bottle. "I can't thank you enough for letting us stay her," Cuddy said.

"I think you know how to," House suggested and then smiled at her.

"There're children here," Cuddy said.

"Yeah, and how do you suppose little brothers and sisters come along?" House asked.

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "Speaking of children, where's Gabrielle at? There was something I wanted to talk to her about," Cuddy said.

"Man you two do a lot of talking," House said. "Gossiping perhaps? Maybe trying to get some dirt on me?" House teasingly asked. "She's behind the only closed door on the left," he said.

"Thank you," she said and the put Rachel down in here carrier. "Mommy will be right back," she said.

"Like she understands you," House mocked as he made his way to the kitchen.

Cuddy glared at him and then made her way to Gabrielle's room. She got there and looked at the door for a second and then knocked. "Can I come in?" she asked.

Gabrielle sighed as she sat up. "Come in," she called. Gabrielle sat there and watched her walk in and close the door behind her.

"Did you by any chance do anything about Mike yet?" Cuddy asked.

"Well, I called the police and told them to show up right after he did. I was going to show up just keep the trick going, but I didn't want to be arrested a long with him." Gabrielle explained.

"Well, I wouldn't have pressed charges against you. You would have gotten off. But it is better that you didn't go. You don't what kind of weapons he would have on him or anything." Cuddy just folded her arms and looked over to the side.

"Oh no, he told me that I get to have the first stab at you. I don't think you stab some one with a gun," Gabrielle said.

"That's… nice," she said from lack of anything better to say. The thought itself made her shiver.

Gabrielle rolled her eyes and then thought that she might freak her out. "He said that even though I get to do the stabbing, he would find a better way to have fun with you before I did anything. It involved a bandana and a few sets of handcuffs." She knew what she was doing was mean, but she had to.

"Okay! I get the picture," Cuddy snapped trying to get her to stop.

"Nah, I couldn't see him doing that," Gabrielle remarked.

Cuddy laughed with irony. "But you were the one who said that he was out to kill us," Cuddy said.

"Aw, but he was such a sweet person," she mocked.

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "I get enough of that from your Father, I don't need it from you," she said.

Gabrielle smiled at her. "Then what did you come in here for?" she smugly asked. "My approval for you to date Daddy dearest?"

"I came in here to ask you what was going to happen," she said. "And to thank you for me. Even if you did go through my personal belongings."

"No problem," Gabrielle said.

Cuddy started to walk to the door, but stopped and turned around. "Just one question," she started.

"Why?" Gabrielle asked.

Cuddy nodded. "Yeah. You don't even know me and you act like it's your duty to protect me."

Gabrielle shrugged. "Distraction I guess. I mean, everyday I walk in there knowing that my mom is just down the hall waiting to die. Before that, it was problems that my mother and I had between each other. Besides, your's had a solution, mine didn't and my dad just has too much to even attempt. I would have to take that magic little orange bottle away and I don't think that's going to happen," she said.

"I know it sounds unrealistic, but you and your mom can still work your problems out. Just go down there and talk for a while. That way if she does die, you won't regret them as much," Cuddy said.

Gabrielle looked down towards the ground and sighed. "I would, but I just don't think that it's all that easy," she said. Her voice was starting to get choked up as she thought about it. She looked up at Cuddy. "Did you ever have any problems with your mother that just couldn't be resolved?" she asked.

Cuddy walked over. "Every one has problems with their mothers! But that doesn't mean that you just ignore them!" she said.

"What if your mom didn't want you?" she asked. She was completely serious as her eyes filled with tears.

"That can't be true," Cuddy said as she looked to her with shock.

Gabrielle wiped her face and tried to calm down. "When ever my mom would get mad, she had this tendency to blurt things out." Gabrielle stopped and looked over out the window. Her face was blank without any expression. "Sometimes she would start to yell. She would start and say 'You know! I hate it when you act so much like…' and then her face would completely drop. It was like she had caught herself."

Cuddy just looked down. "I'm sure that she didn't mean it like that," she said.

"Yes she did. I know she did, I could feel it in the way that she would talk to me sometimes. I would come home with straight A's and she would just look at the report card and tell me good job. That was when I decided to see what would happen if I got a B for once, nothing. Then I decided, well a B isn't bad, lets flunk one. I did and she didn't even ask why. She took the report card and didn't notice all the A's with one F. She didn't think that was out of place. She said good job and handed it back. Then I started drawing. Every one else, even strangers tell me that I'm good. She just shrugged. Even my father out there was more interested in what I could and couldn't do," she said.

Cuddy could see the hurt in her eyes. "I'm sorry, I didn't know," she said.

Gabrielle looked up and smiled. "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have spilled that all to you," she said.

"That's okay, I spilled to you earlier, remember?" she asked. Gabrielle slightly laughed. "Let me see your drawings." Cuddy wanted to lighten the mood and she figured it would help if she looked at her art work.

Gabrielle smiled at her efforts. "I only have two in here," she said as she reached over and grabbed her sketch pad.

Cuddy took it and opened it up to the first page with a portrait of House. "Wow," she said as she stared down at it in amazement. She then turned the page. "Rachel," she said as she smiled.

"You got it," Gabrielle said. "Would you like to keep that one?" she offered.

"Sure," Cuddy said. She then looked up at her. "Have you shown these to House yet?" she asked.

"No," Gabrielle said. She sounded hesitant about it as she shrugged. "But I'm sure that he has still seen them."

"Well, let's go show them to him," Cuddy said.

Gabrielle took her pictures and walked out to the living room where House was lying on the couch flipping through the channels. "Hey addict," Gabrielle said.

House sat up and looked over. "What is it little miss sunshine?" he asked.

Gabrielle handed him both pictures. He took them and carefully looked both over. "Cool," he said as he handed them back. "Ever think of going into surgery?" he asked.

"The thought has crossed my mind a few times," she said.

"Think about it. You've got the coordination and the patience," he said and then went back to watching TV.

Gabrielle smiled. It wouldn't seem like a great compliment, but it meant more than anything to her. He didn't praise and applaud it, he just simply acknowledged what she could do. He was basically telling her that she would have made a good surgeon. That was all she needed to hear. "Thanks. I will," she said.

House then looked back over at the two. "You hungry?" he asked. "How about we all go out to dinner?" he suggested.

Both Gabrielle and Cuddy agreed to it and every one got ready and left. They didn't go any where special, just a pizza place, but it didn't matter. They all enjoyed it.

"Right now, no matter what happens, I'm flying back to Toledo to finish up my freshman year. Now, if my mom gets better, I'll stay there with her and we'll both try to get on with our lives. If she dies, then she wants me to go stay with Aunt Eloise up in Maine, it's in her will so I have to unless Aunt Eloise decides otherwise," Gabrielle explained.

"You do good in school?" House asked. Her grades were something that he was interested in.

"Is a five point o good enough for you?" she asked.

House looked up with confusion as he took a sip of his drink. "Five point o? Isn't a four point o the highest?" he asked.

"Not if you take all honors classes," she said. Gabrielle flashed him a smile full of pride and then went back to eating.

"Nice," he said.

Cuddy then looked up with surprise. "I almost forgot. There is a medical conference going on in Hawaii and they want Me, you and Wilson to attend it," Cuddy said. "It's in June. I can't remember the exact date, but I'll let you know as soon as I find out."

"Hawaii?" House asked. "Is it free for me?"

"Yeah," she said.

"Sure, I'll go. I might even get to see you in a bathing suit," he said.

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "Grow up already," she said.

"I'm not to blame. If you weren't so developed I wouldn't be so excited to see you in a bathing suit," he said.

"Anyways, I know I shouldn't be doing this," she said and then looked down to Gabrielle, "but would you like to come with us?" Cuddy asked.

Gabrielle's eyes brightened up. "Yes I would! I just need to get a new bathing suit," Gabrielle said.

"Alright then. Now tomorrow the three of us have to get a quick blood test done and then everything should be set," she explained.

"Why do I need a blood test mommy? She doesn't," he pretended to whine as he pointed over to Gabrielle.

Gabrielle smiled. "You afraid that they'll find out about what you're using and arrest you?" she asked.

House glared down at her. "No, I use a prescription. You can't get arrested for that. Besides, maybe I just don't like having needles stuck in me," he said.

"Could have fooled me," Gabrielle said.

"You're probably the one with the tattoos over there," he mentioned.

"You peeked! Pervert," Gabrielle mocked.

House questionably looked up at her and smirked. "You do don't you?" he asked.

Gabrielle blushed. "It was my birthday and Heather's sister worked there, so she decided to give me a free tattoo with out having to get mother's permission. She still some how doesn't know that I have one. I was going to tell her when I turned eighteen so that she couldn't do anything to me then," Gabrielle said.

Cuddy looked down at Rachel. "I hope you never know any one that works at a tattoo parlor," she said. Cuddy then looked back over at Gabrielle.

"It's very small. Not that big of a deal. Besides, I've obviously earned it. I'm a very responsible girl. I need to be irresponsible every once in a while or else when I do get to cut loose I'll go out of control and I don't think that anyone wants that." Gabrielle took a bite of her pizza and pretended that nothing had been said.

"It's on you ass isn't it?" he asked. House wanted to see whether or not she telling the truth.

Gabrielle put her pizza down and shrugged. "I guess you can say that. It's a small rose right above the right cheek. I'll show you when we get home," she said.

House looked over at Cuddy. "I've already failed as a Father," he said. "No wait. She had that before she came to me. I believe that is when you blame the previous owner."

Cuddy gave him a warning look and then went back to eating. Gabrielle just smiled up at House. He was right, her mother was to blame. If she had been paying more attention she would have done something. At least, she would like to think that.

The next morning, Gabrielle woke up to a silent apartment. She was used to hearing her dad getting ready for work. Growing suspicious, Gabrielle climbed off the couch and snuck out of her room and cracked open the door to House's room. "Oh God you two!" she yelled upon opening the door.

They both jumped and sat up. "Gabrielle? What is it?" House asked.

"It's time for work! Both of you!" she said.

Cuddy looked over at the clock. "Shit, she's right, we're going to be late," she said.

"I think that m boss will let it slide," House said as he laid back.

Cuddy looked down and laughed at him. "Oh no, she's expects you to be there on time," she demanded.

"Man, I can't believe you two. With children in the house," Gabrielle teased and then walked back over to her room.

The rest of the morning was rushed. Cuddy grabbed Rachel and every one headed down to the hospital. In the car was when Gabrielle decided to ask questions. "How did you two end up together in bed?" she bluntly asked.

"She couldn't keep her hot little hands off of me," House said.

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "We started talking about a vacation together in Hawaii," Cuddy said sounding ashamed at herself.

"Hmm, Hawaii is pretty sexy," Gabrielle commented as she looked out the window. "And don't worry, I won't mention any last night to any one at the hospital."

"Good, now I have the chance to start the gossip spreading," House said. "I was thinking about just telling them that Cuddy wasn't home all night and see what comes of it."

"Well they certainly wouldn't think that you took any part of it. Especially after I tell them you failed the last time," Cuddy said.

"Are you telling me that I was below par for you?" he asked with mock offense.

"Oh come on, I didn't actually want to hear how it went last night. God you're disgusting," Gabrielle said.

"Okay, I'll change the subject. Once we get there, you go get Wilson and we'll have our blood drawn right then and there. That way we can have the clearing results at the end of the day and not have to worry about it," Cuddy said.

House thought for a minute and then looked over at her. "How may rooms will we be getting?" he asked.

Cuddy smirked. "Two," she answered. "One for Gabrielle and I. And then one for you and Wilson."

"What? You don't trust me?" he teased.

"Not after the last couple of times, no," she answered.

Gabrielle just sat in the back seat and shook her head. She then looked down at Rachel in her baby seat. "Do you believe these two?" she asked.

Right away when they got to the hospital, they all went their separate ways. Cuddy took Rachel over to office, House went to go get Wilson for a blood test, and Gabrielle went straight to go see her mother. She had considered what Cuddy had told her and thought that she should give it a shot. Get everything out in the open. Then again, what if she found out if she was right? Would she really want to know that?

"Hey there," she said as she cautiously approached the bed. She was upset to see that Maria had only gotten worse since she had last seen her yesterday.

Maria slowly opened her eyes and looked over. "Gabi," she said weakly.

"Yeah, it's me. I still got the cast on," she said.

"I see that," Maria said. Maria just turned her head and stared up at the ceiling.

"Mom? Can I get an honest answer from you?" she asked.

"Go for it," Maria said. It was evident that she was in pain from the sound of her voice.

"Do you regret that you had me?" she asked. Gabrielle just anxiously looked into Maria's eyes.

"At times? Yes I did, but because of you, because if your father." Maria had bluntly answered her question. "How about you? Regret having me as a mother?"

Gabrielle sighed. "Only when you regretted having me as a daughter," she answered. The room stayed silent after that. It was like they were both thinking about what had just been said. They were both feeling guilty, and with good reason. "Were you ever proud of me?"

"I'm hard to please. I always expected you to be the best at everything," she said.

Gabrielle didn't know how to take that. Whether it was a compliment or not, it made her feel better. "Thanks," she said. Gabrielle looked down at the ground. It was hard for her to look at Maria. All she could feel right now was an emptiness.

Cuddy sat in her office with Rachel in front of her. "Who does Mommy love?" she asked. Of course there was no response but a small giggle. "You," she said and then smiled down at her. There was a knock at the door and she stood up. "Come in!" she called out.

A nurse walked in carrying a file. "Blood test is done," she announced.

"It's only bee a couple of hours since you started," Cuddy said with confusion as she walked over to take the envelope.

"It's a very slow day in there. Dr. House's will be done in a little under an hour and Dr. Wilson's should still be done before lunch," she said.

Cuddy took the file and started towards her desk. The nurse was about to leave, but turned and smiled. "Oh, and Dr. Cuddy? I would be very careful with your trip," she said and then left. Cuddy gave her a look of confusion and then opened the file.

Gabrielle was still sitting with Maria. They weren't talking much, but just enough to let each other know exactly how they felt. "I guess I should confess, I got a tattoo," Gabrielle said.

"I'll talk to you about that one when we get home," Maria said. She was still staring up at the ceiling. It seemed to be the only way that she was comfortable.

"Right," Gabrielle said. Neither of them really thought that she was going to make it home, but each of them wanted the other to think that they did. "Anything else you need to tell me?" Gabrielle asked. She sat there and waited for a minute, but there was no response. "Mom?" she asked. Still there was no response. The tears started rolling down her cheeks. "Good bye mom, I love you," she said.

Cuddy happily carried the file up to House's office and entered the room. "Don't you believe in knocking?" House asked as he watched his soap opera.

"Why should I? You don't," she said.

House looked up at her. He could tell that she was very happy. "Okay, what is it? Your plan for cheating the test work?" he asked.

Cuddy shook her head. "I may not be able to go because I'm pregnant," she happily announced.

That was when House's face dropped. "You're the father," she said. House just looked up at her.

"Damn, two in one month, I feel like I've been dating twins or something," he remarked. He didn't know how to feel about it. He had a daughter, and he did like having her around, but he didn't know how he would feel about a baby. Then again, this was Cuddy's baby, not some other girl's baby, Cuddy's. "Congratulations," he said.

"That's it?" she asked. She was a little offended by his reaction.

"How's this?" House stood up and kissed her and then sat back down. It was a simple quick kiss, but it sufficed for the situation. "I would be happy to have another kid."

"That doesn't sound like you though," she admitted.

"Look, would I lie about something like that?" he asked.

"I guess not," she answered.

"Besides, I don't want them to come knocking at my door at fifteen asking me about my life," he said.

Cuddy laughed. "I know," she said. The door opened up and Gabrielle walked in. "Gabrielle! I…" once she saw her face, she couldn't continue.

"She," Gabrielle shrugged as tears streaked her face. "She, she's gone. She died," she said and then fell to her knees.

**I know that this chapter is pretty long, but I felt I had to stretch out so that it could end like that. This chapter is in remembrance of my grandma. Apparently the problem was a little worse off then they thought. She died yesterday. **

**Also, I thought that maybe I should have a little poll. Cuddy just said that she was pregnant. Do you think that this pregnancy should work out, or do you think that I should follow the show and have her have a miscarriage? It's up to you. Tell me what you think. **


	13. Afraid of Tomorrow

Chapter 13: Afraid of Tomorrow

Cuddy looked to her with sympathy as House just stared. Gabrielle stood up as she wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry," she said.

"Would you like to be alone right now?" Cuddy asked with concern.

Gabrielle looked at her and then slowly walked over to House and wrapped her arms around him. House sighed as he looked up. He looked over at Cuddy as if he were asking what to do. He then brought his attention back to Gabrielle and laid his hand on her shoulder. They all three just stood there for a minute. Gabrielle then pulled away and shook her head. "I already am alone," she said.

House kept his hand on her shoulder. He stared down at her for a second and then shook his head. "No you're not," he said.

Cuddy walked up from behind her and placed her hand on the other shoulder as she lowered her head to meet with Gabrielle's eyes. "You still have your Father, and if you ever need me I'm here," Cuddy said.

"No," Gabrielle said as she shook her head. All she could was blankly stare ahead. "You don't get it. My mom stated that she wanted me to go live with Aunt Eloise in Maine. A lady that never even liked me that much. She's always trying to change me into something that I'm not. When Maria died, I just lost every thing." Gabrielle looked down with disbelief. "I just lost all my friends, I lost you two, my way of life, and most importantly my mother," she said.

"You're going to miss me? The one with the face? Druggie? Cane boy? Cripple? Grumpy?" he asked trying to mock her for it.

"You're my Daddy. But most importantly, you treated me, like a friend. You saw who I was and just went a long with it. My friends are like that, but most of my Mother's family, they aren't. They see me and wonder why I'm not some barbied up ballerina," Gabrielle explained. Gabrielle then walked over and sat down in the chair and turned so that she could stare out the window.

Both House and Cuddy just stood there for a minute. Neither of them knew what to say to her. Gabrielle took a deep breath and wiped her eyes. She then turned around and softly smiled. "Okay, I'm alright," she said trying to steady her voice. She then looked over at Cuddy. "You seemed pretty happy before I came in, what was it you were about to tell me?" Gabrielle asked.

Cuddy thought that it should wait for a better time, but she was excited to tell people. "I'm pregnant," she announced.

Gabrielle cracked a smug little smile across her face. "And my Daddy is…" she started.

"Right," House said.

Gabrielle smiled. "So I'm a big sister?" she asked.

"Yep," Cuddy answered.

"Congratulations," she said. Gabrielle sighed. "I guess that means that I'll have to come down every summer to visit huh?" she asked. Gabrielle was trying her hardest to keep her mind on something happy. She knew the minute that she let her mind go back to her mother that she would start crying again. Gabrielle just decided to get up and walk around or something. It wasn't like she was going to be left alone any where here. She walked over to her Dad and stood before him. "Thanks for everything," she said with true sincerity. She then turned to Cuddy and hugged her. "Congrats," she said and then pulled away. With that, Gabrielle just turned and walked out of the room.

Gabrielle walked down the hall and took out her cell phone. She dialed the number to her Aunt Eloise and explained everything that happened. "Hey? Aunt Eloise? I have to talk to you," Gabrielle started.

Chase was getting ready to go on brake. He had finished what he needed to with his patient and was heading down to the cafeteria. He stopped as soon as he saw a young girl pacing in front of the elevator with a cell phone to her ear. "Yes, I know, but I think I can manage to get myself set up over there," Gabrielle said.

The young blonde doctor looked over with curiosity and decided to approach the girl.

"Well see you later then," she hissed and hung up.

"I'm sorry, is there something wrong here?" he asked.

Gabrielle sighed and turned around to face him. To her surprise it was the same doctor that had told her about her mother. "The only thing wrong here is that some people tend to think that I can't make any decisions on my own," she said.

"Do you want to be left alone right now?" he asked. He could sense the tension in her voice.

Gabrielle sighed and ran her hand through her hair. "I'm sorry. I'm just a little stressed. My mother just died and I'm trying to figure out what's going to happen next," she explained.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"Thanks," she said and then stared down at her phone.

Before Chase could walk away, House came over and joined them. "House, I don't think," Chase started. He was trying to save Gabrielle from House.

"No, it's fine, I know him," Gabrielle said.

"Obviously not if you're letting him near you," Chase said.

House looked up at him. "Words hurt buddy," he said and then stuck his tongue out at him.

Gabrielle rolled her eyes. "Okay, raise your hand if you know what mature means," she stated.

Chase raised his hand while House just stood there. "That's what I thought," Gabrielle said and then took her phone out," You think you can act it for a minute while I make another phone call?" she asked.

"Did you call Eloise yet?" House asked.

Chase just folded his arms and looked to him with confusion. "How would you know who she's calling?" he asked.

"I'm just psychic like that," House mocked.

"He's my father," Gabrielle said with out looking up from her phone. "Besides, it's Marcy that I'm calling, I need a place to stay while so that I can finish my year at Central," Gabrielle said.

Chase was now shocked. "House? You have a daughter?" he asked.

"Yes I do," he said. "I'm capable of that you know."

Chase just walked away. "House has a daughter?" he asked himself.

Cuddy sat in her office. She was just happy that Rachel had decided to take her nap. The place was almost silent, until her cell phone went off. She jumped and then quickly answered it so that Rachel wouldn't wake up. "Hello?" she answered. Her voice was slightly above a whisper. She sat there for a minute and listened to the other voice talk. "Oh God," she gasped as she dropped the phone. Her eyes, wide with nervousness and worry. She looked over at Rachel and then back down at the phone.

**Sorry this one is shorter than the rest, but I couldn't think of anything else to add to it. Thank you every one, I appreciate the support and I hope that you enjoy this chapter. As I told some one, a funeral can either cause me to write a lot so that I can keep my mind busy or to just not write at all for awhile. We'll see. You can still vote on whether or not you think Cuddy should have the baby or not. Please review! **


	14. Catch Me When I Fall

Chapter 14: Catch Me When I Fall

Cuddy just sat there and pulled herself back together and then slowly reached down and picked up her phone. She jumped as the door opened and Gabrielle came walking in as she closed the door behind her.

"Look, I'll call Darla, Jane and Frank, Janice, Craig, the Randalls and Vicky! But you should call every one else!" Gabrielle sternly stated into the phone. She was stressed out and very tense. "I know that! But I'm doing everything else here!" Gabrielle closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she ran her hand through her hair. "No. That's just morbid. We came buy her a plot out here," Gabrielle stated as calmly as she could. "What do mean what happened to it!?" she was getting worked up again as she started pacing. "She never bought a plot yet! She's thirty eight! Who the hell goes out and buys a burial plot at thirty eight? It's not like she was planning on dying!"

Cuddy sat back in her chair as she watched Gabrielle go back and forth. She had figured out what the phone call was about and what was going on.

"I know I don't have the money for it! Did you think I was saving up for this! You think that one morning I just woke and thought 'hey, what morbid thing can I start saving up for?' I know that you have a lot of money! So why don't you pull the stick out of your ass and chip in a little? Candice and Henry already offered a few thousand! Every one else is giving and donating while you're sitting over there with your nose in the air! Even I'm putting in a few hundred!" Gabrielle said.

Cuddy just watched her and was starting to feel really bad for her. She saw tears of frustration start to roll down the young girl's cheeks. "Gabrielle," Cuddy quietly called. Gabrielle was about to say something but stopped and turned to Cuddy. She handed it over with out any protest. "Hello? Who is this?" Cuddy asked. "I see… I see." Cuddy looked up and motioned for Gabrielle to go sit on the couch. "Right, so why do leave all the planning to a fifteen year old? Doesn't sound a bit unusual?" Cuddy asked. "Yes, this is Lisa Cuddy. I know Gabrielle because she has been staying around the hospital and we have been talking a lot. I might not know her that well but I'm the one who sees what all this is doing to her!" Cuddy said.

Gabrielle sat on the couch and gave Cuddy a slight smile.

"So? Then get out here and do something about it! Standing there complaining isn't going to do anything!" Cuddy said starting to slightly raise her voice. "Alright then!" she yelled and then hung up. Cuddy sighed and looked over at Gabrielle as she stood up. "Don't do this to yourself," she softly stated.

"What would you do if it was your mother? I mean my age shouldn't keep me from doing what I know should be done. We all have to grow up sometime. Some people just a little earlier than others," Gabrielle explained.

"You're fifteen," Cuddy said.

"Right, and my mom was thirty eight. What difference does age make? If that's old enough to die then I must be old enough to plan a funeral," she said. It was silent for a moment. "Why did you look so scared when I walked in?"

Cuddy lowered her head. "Mike Suder called me. He never went to my house last night since he knew that it could be a set up. He's still after me," she stated.

"Oh," Gabrielle said and then reached for her phone which was still in Cuddy's hands.

"No, this isn't your problem. You've got enough," Cuddy announced.

Gabrielle just coldly stared up at her. "What problem? That my mother died? What does it matter if there's no solution? Just sitting here won't solve anything. Your problem has a solution. Your;s can some how be tricked or caught or something, but mine is dead. There is nothing you can do once some one is dead. They're dead, then they're dead. It's all over, they're out of the game and have no more problems to be solved," Gabrielle explained. She stared up into her eyes for a second. She had to tell her something that would completely eat away at her. "Who do you want out of the game more? You, your unborn child and Rachel, that baby over there that hasn't done anything wrong yet? Or Mike Suder?" she asked.

"Look, I'm not going back to that house without your Father, you don't have anything to worry about," she said. Cuddy hated the thought, and knew that Gabrielle knew exactly what to say to people to get what she wanted, but she felt that she had to put that aside for right now.

"Okay," Gabrielle said as she stood up. She was about to head over to the door, but stopped and smiled at Cuddy. "Thank you," she said.

"Sure," Cuddy said and then gave Gabrielle her phone back.

Gabrielle walked over to the door. She reached down to grab the door knob, but stopped. She slowly turned and looked up at Cuddy. "Remember, how I told you that expecting the worst helps you more than expecting the best?" she asked. Gabrielle looked down and shook her head. "It was definitely less pain than I would have had if I were expecting her to get up and walk out of that room, but I forgot to mention, that there's always pain," she said and then left.

Gabrielle walked down the hall and saw House standing at the elevator. He looked down. "You think you should show that tattoo of your's to your dear Aunt Eloise?" House asked.

Gabrielle softly grinned. "All save it for a while and then tell her that I got it on her time," Gabrielle said.

The elevator door opened and they both stepped in. "You hungry?" House asked.

"I could eat," Gabrielle answered.

"Then I guess I'll steal something off of Wilson's plate for you. Tell him that your mommy and that you haven't been able to stop crying for two days. If could shed a tear right now he would give you just about anything," House said.

"Want me to go for his car?" Gabrielle asked as they stepped onto the main floor.

"Sure, why not?" House asked.

Gabrielle just walked right along side him as they went into the cafeteria. As they sat through lunch, she barely talked. All her thoughts were focused on what was going to happen. Where she would end up. She knew that Aunt Eloise had sent her a plane ticket to go back to Toledo. Other then that, she had no idea.

After lunch, House went back to his office to find Cuddy standing there. "My mistress awaits my arrival," he said as he entered through the glass door.

"House, I need to talk to you," she said. There was a nervousness in her eyes that sent him a signal. The only thing that he didn't know was how nervous and worried she actually was.

"You already told me about the baby," he said as he limped over to his desk.

"That's not it. It's about me and Rachel," she started. She hesitated while she watched House go through a couple different files on his desk. "We're both in danger."

House slowly lifted his head. "What?" he asked. House just stared at her, almost like she was in trouble.

Cuddy bit her lip as she thought about what to tell him. She hated telling him that she was having problems, but she had to now. "I dated him. We never got that close though, well, I backed away from him, but he tried to get closer to me. Long story short, he's after me and he wants to take Rachel." Every muscle in her body tensed as she told him what was going on. She was waiting for it, she was waiting for him to ask her how stupid she was, to ask what the hell she thought that she was doing. His questioning wouldn't have bothered her so much if it was just about her, but she knew t hat he was going to poking at her as a mother, and now that she was going to be the mother of his child, that was the last thing that she wanted him doubting.

House raised his eyebrows and stared at her for a minute. He had to take a minute to comprehend what she was saying. "Well, the latest mister right happens to be a murderer huh? What's next? I mean, after you go so far the only way to go is down, or up in your case," he said. House then walked around his desk and stood before her.

Cuddy just looked up at him. She knew that he was probably thinking a lot worse then what he was saying, but she felt lucky to not know what it was. Her eyes started to water. She kept wanting to say something to him, but didn't know what to say.

"How long?" he asked. His voice now sounded ominous for some reason. His blue eyes were now piercing through her.

"A week. I tried to brake up with him right before Gabrielle set me up with you. We never slept together or anything, so I didn't think that it was going to be that hard. We barely even kissed," Cuddy said. She looked down to avoid his eyes. "At first at he seemed," she was cut off.

"Excuses don't help anything," he stated. He looked her over. "Did he hurt you?" he asked. There was more concern in his voice then he had thought there would be.

Cuddy was about to say no, but caught herself. Right now lying wouldn't help anything. "Yes," she said and then rolled up her sleeve.

House examined it and then looked up into her eyes. "You're staying with me," he said.

"Thank you," she said.

That night, Gabrielle stepped out of the shower. She walked over to the mirror and looked at her hair. The pink was gone. It was blonde again. She still had hair that covered her left eye, so she took the scissors and cut herself bangs. She blew dry her hair and then just stared at herself in the mirror. "This is what you're going to have to get used to," she said to herself. She did look good, it was just that she liked the color in her hair, the longer bangs over the eye. She even did different things with her hair while she was in school. She would randomly curl it, wave it, crimp it, get it cut in layers. Her aunt wouldn't allow that at all. Aunt Eloise wanted her to have hair that was all the same length, straight, and down to her shoulders. "I can't even mess around with my bangs after this," she said and then stepped out into the hallway.

Gabrielle stepped out and smiled. Cuddy and House were sitting on the couch together as Cuddy cradled Rachel in her arms. That right there was what she wanted to be a part of, not some boot camp for beauty that her Aunt was going to put her through.

"Exit Pink, enter Blondie," House remarked as he looked over at her.

Gabrielle just laughed. "You didn't think that I was about to go to my mother's funeral with pink hair did you?" she asked. Gabrielle walked over. She was wearing a big T-shirt and sweat pants. She would probably have to get rid of them once she got over to her Aunt's house. She sat down next to House and held her hand up. "And look at this," she said.

House over dramatically gasped and looked over at Cuddy. "My God, the black color just faded from the girl's nails," he said and then gave her her hand back.

Gabrielle looked down. "You know, we might have had our problems, but Maria was a good mom. She may have been hard to please, but that was only because she expected me to be great. She helped me with my problems. We would bake cakes and play dress up together. She would invite my friends over when ever I felt like having a tea party or anything like that," Gabrielle said. "She might have been at work a lot, but what ever free time she had, she spent it with me."

House looked over. "Don't dwell on the past," he said.

"After I get back Hawaii, it's all I'll have left," she said. There was a long pause. "The main point of being human is to live how we choose, yet every one has the idea that they'll be happy if they can be in charge and run some one else's life. It's rather sickening if you ask me."

"She can't be that bad," Cuddy said.

"Just wait, you'll see. I wouldn't bring Rachel or baby number two to come see her, she might want to enlist them in her very own Hitler's school of the perfect human race," Gabrielle said.

Gabrielle just sat there for a second. She saw the look on Cuddy's face is it slowly fell. There was realization in her eyes. "One would you guess you know the feeling. You're mother didn't die, but you had to go stay with a mean old Aunt didn't you?" Gabrielle asked.

Cuddy looked back up and softly chuckled. "Yeah, my sister and I used to call her the wicked witch of the west. One night we put her fingers into warm water while she slept." Cuddy looked over at Gabrielle. "she didn't act so superior the next day."

House looked over. "I couldn't see you doing that," he smirked.

"Test me," she dared.

"You test me. You've already seen what I can do," House said as he grinned at her.

"Don't forget that I'm still your boss," Cuddy said.

Gabrielle just laughed and rolled her eyes. "Hawkeye and Hotlips go at it again," she remarked.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Cuddy asked.

"You two fight in public, but once you two are alone it's straight to bed," Gabrielle said.

House looked over at Cuddy and suggestively smiled. "Maybe we should listen to the wise one," he said.

"Right, just let me get up and leave here," Gabrielle said and then stood up and left the room with a smile on her face.

**Thank you to those who have reviewed. I would also like to thank those who have shown their support with my recent loss. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and please review. **


	15. Aunt Eloise

Chapter 15: Aunt Eloise

Gabrielle sat on the couch in her room. She had to go to the airport in a little while to go meet her Aunt Eloise. She didn't want to see her. The last thing that she wanted right now was to deal with this. Both Cuddy and House took a personal day from work to take Gabrielle. They both knew how she felt about this and were going to try to make this day a little easier. At least they all knew that she was going to be staying in a hotel.

"Your Dad's out in the car. You ready yet?" Cuddy asked as she cracked open the door to Gabrielle's room.

Gabrielle sighed and stood up. "About as ready as I'll ever be," she said. Gabrielle dragged her feet out the door passed Cuddy.

Cuddy just watched her and then followed her out to the car. The ride to the airport was silent. It was the ride back that everything started.

Gabrielle slid into the back seat of the car next to the baby seat and then Aunt Eloise got it. She was a middle aged woman. Tall, slender, her face some what resembling a mouse, at least, that's how Gabrielle saw it. The older woman stiffly sat there and looked at the two people sitting up front. "Hello Gregory," she greeted.

House's face dropped. "Oh God I remember her," he muttered. Cuddy just warningly glared at him out of the corner of her eyes. Upon seeing Cuddy's face he looked up and pasted on a fake smile. "Well how are you doing there Miss Zbin?" His voice was so phony that both Gabrielle and Cuddy started to laugh.

"Try and act like a civilized human being instead of an ass for once Gregory," she warned as she sternly stared at him.

"I agree Gregory," Cuddy remarked.

Eloise looked over and stared at Cuddy. "This girl, who is she?" she asked.

"Lisa Cuddy," she said as she turned and extended her hand to Eloise.

Eloise just stared at it causing Cuddy to take her hand back. "I suppose that this is your baby?" she asked pointing to Rachel.

"Yes," Cuddy answered.

"And I suppose you're married to Gregory?" she asked.

Gabrielle rolled her eyes and then quickly dropped her face into her hand and shook her head. Cuddy started to get nervous. "No," she hesitantly answered.

Eloise reached over and hit House on the shoulder. "Even though it's for the wrong reasoning, I still feel that I deserved that for doing something Cuddy," House remarked.

"Auntie Eloise," Gabrielle called out as she lifted her head. "Rachel is adopted. Her existence really has nothing to do with either Daddy or Cuddy."

Eloise looked over with surprise. "You call him Daddy?" she asked.

"Yes, I do," Gabrielle said. "And you can't stop me."

Eloise just looked in surprise at Gabrielle. Disorder was something that she was not used to. Gabrielle just sat there and stared ahead.

Before taking Eloise to her hotel, she wanted to stop and see how Gabrielle was living. Every one piled into the living room and stopped. Every one stood there silently as Eloise looked around the place. "This is where you have been keeping children?" Eloise asked.

House just rolled his eyes. This was going to get old very soon. "No, we keep them in the cages out on the window sill. We find that it builds a certain character, they appreciate their time inside more," he said and then sat down on the couch.

Eloise sighed with annoyance and then turned to Gabrielle. "I assume that you know how I feel about your hair dear," she said.

Gabrielle cringed. Not this. Not now. She slowly turned to face her and held up her broken arm. "Sorry, I couldn't cut all that well," Gabrielle said.

"Well at least you don't have all those silly signatures all over your cast like most people do," Eloise said.

"I was planning on waiting until my last day here," Gabrielle said.

Eloise just gave her signature sigh and pursed her lips. "Why must you always argue with me?" she sternly asked.

Gabrielle just put her hands on her hips. "I wouldn't argue with you if you would just shut up," she said.

"You little brat," Eloise stated and then looked up at her. "No wonder your mother didn't always want you. Who would want to put up with you? I have some serious work ahead of me."

"Oh God," Cuddy softly gasped and then looked over at Gabrielle.

Gabrielle just stood there. The anger and fight was completely wiped off her face and replaced with disbelief. Tears were starting to form in her eyes.

House looked over and stared at Gabrielle for a minute and then stood up and glared at Eloise. "Sure, strike her with a bunch of bullshit so that you can feel all high and mighty," he stated. "I'm sure that there is a certain reason as to why you live alone."

"Unlike Maria I didn't try to get a date. Maria tried but couldn't because her boyfriends all had problems with that thing," she said and pointed to Gabrielle.

"Her mother just died you heartless bitch," Cuddy said.

"You shut up you little tramp. Living here with a man. You should be ashamed of yourself. Then you go and adopt a baby only to drag them down with you," Eloise said with utter disgust.

"Don't you dare!" Gabrielle snapped. "She may be living with a single man, but it's only to protect her and her baby. And hears something that you might not know too much about, yeah, she actually cares!" Gabrielle said raising her voice. "And another thing." Gabrielle starting walking towards Eloise who was now just blankly staring at the girl. "Don't ever say anything against my Father! He might not be the most pleasant person to be around, but he knows when to keep his mouth shut," Gabrielle stated. "Unlike some of us who go around acting like we're soooo much better and soooo much more sophisticated. God, all you do is make me want to puke."

"The only reason you're yelling at me is because you know it's true. You're a lonely bastard child that no one wants. Your own mother didn't even want you," Eloise stated.

Tears started to run down her cheeks. "I fucking hate you," she sternly whispered and then ran off towards her room. Cuddy shook her head at Eloise and ran off after Gabrielle.

Cuddy opened the door and found Gabrielle sitting on the couch with her knees pulled up to her chest. Her face was buried in her arms which rested on her knees. Cuddy closed the door behind her and sat down next to Gabrielle. She gently laid her hand on the girl's shoulder. "You know what your dad's doing out there right now?" she softly asked.

"What?" Gabrielle's voice was muffled.

"He's out there standing up to Eloise," Cuddy explained with a small smile on her face.

Gabrielle finally raised her head. "Really?" she asked as she wiped her face.

"Really. Don't listen to her," Cuddy said.

"I wish it were that easy, but," Gabrielle paused and stared straight forward. She didn't know how to continue that sentence. Instead of saying anything, her eye lids over filled with unshed tears.

Cuddy leaned over and hugged Gabrielle. She felt bad seeing her like this. It was bad enough that her mother had died and now she has some lady in there telling her that she is unwanted. Gabrielle just rested her forehead on Cuddy's shoulder and closed her eyes. "Your Father loves you," Cuddy said. "I've rarely seen him ever get close to some one, but I'm sure that he loves you," Cuddy said.

"And I love him too. And the fact that he is out there yelling at the wicked witch of the west means more than anything to me. I just wish that that loser," Gabrielle raised her head and blankly stared.

"What?" Cuddy asked.

Gabrielle wiped her face and started to laugh. "Aunt Eloise is only known for working at the jewelers down the road from her," Gabrielle said. Cuddy just stared and waited for an answer. Gabrielle excitedly grabbed Cuddy's shoulders. "Don't you get it?" she exclaimed. Gabrielle stood up and walked to the other side of the room.

"I'm sorry, did I miss something?" Cuddy asked.

Gabrielle turned around with smug grin on her face. "Think about it," she said as she slowly paced the room. "Eloise Zbin. Always the goody two shows. She only acts that way because she has something to hide. She's loaded with money, I've seen her house!" Gabrielle said and then stood before Cuddy. "Trust me, you don't get that rich by being a clerk at a local jewelry store. Also, my grandparents are alive, they didn't give her a scent."

Gabrielle walked over to the door and turned back to Cuddy. "You may want to see this," she said.

"What are you doing?" Cuddy asked as she stood up.

"Proving that every one lies," she said.

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "Where have I heard that before?" she quietly asked herself as she walked over to the door.

Gabrielle opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. "Oh my God! You were a hooker!" Gabrielle yelled.

House and Eloise both paused and slowly turned to Gabrielle. Cuddy just stood in the doorway with her eyes wide open. Gabrielle explained herself as she made her way over to Eloise. "You only held one job in your life and have never received money from others, yet you're rich. To earn a lot of money, you have to be good at something. You never wanted a boyfriend or husband because then you would feel that you would have to explain your past. They would also just interfere with your clients," Gabrielle said stopping in front of Eloise.

"Is this true?" House asked with fake, overdone shock.

Eloise ignored him and slapped Gabrielle across the face. "Sure, you do that. I already feel that I have given you the biggest slap in the face that you could have gotten," she stated.

Eloise just huffed and stuck her nose in the air as she walked out of the apartment. "I think that means it's true," House said.

Gabrielle turned and smiled over at House. "What did you tell her while I was gone?" she asked.

House shrugged. "I just accused her of doing the same thing and then called her a loud mouth bitch," he stated. There was something hidden in his eyes. He didn't tell her everything.

Gabrielle just smiled and walked over and wrapped her arms around him. "Thank you Daddy," she said. Gabrielle knew that there was a lot more said, but he wasn't going to tell her.

House sighed and then shrugged. "You're welcome," he mumbled and then slowly wrapped his arms around her.

Gabrielle just laughed and House quickly let go. "What?" he asked.

"I could tell how awkward you felt," she stepped back and shook her head as she continued to laugh. She calmed herself down and stared. "I just wish that I didn't have to go live with that bitch."

"She'll probably die of a heart attack from stress before that happens," House stated.

"Thank God," Gabrielle said as she sat down on the couch.

Cuddy sat down on one of the chairs and looked over. "Why do you have to go live with her?" Cuddy asked.

Gabrielle sighed. "When you got Rachel, didn't you pick out a set of godparents or something for her in case something were to happen to you?" Gabrielle asked.

"Yes, but I have a hard time believing that Maria would pick her," Cuddy said.

"Even if she is loaded," House said and then joined Gabrielle. "Besides, a young girl couldn't sleep that well with Auntie dearest and rich boy having a business meeting in the room down the hall."

"Eloise promised to help her out financially while I was a baby, but in order for that to happen, she had to sign me over to her," Gabrielle said.

"Guess she didn't plan on dieing at the time," House said.

"Guess not," Gabrielle said.

**I hope you liked it. I had a few people help me with this chapter so I would like to thank Chrissy, Jean, and Kailey to lol. Anyways, the funeral was this morning and everything is done and over with. Again, I thank every one for their support. And please remember to review. **


	16. Parenting

Chapter 16: Parenting

Gabrielle sat in Cuddy's office while she watched Rachel. She was happy and smiling as she rocked Rachel. "Darla and Tiffany are coming into town tonight," Gabrielle announced. "You and Daddy will like them. They're nothing like Eloise."

Cuddy just kept looking down at her paperwork. "You really like them huh?" Cuddy asked.

"Oh yes. I just wish Uncle Ted was coming with them, but he had to work. He says he'll be out for the funeral though," Gabrielle said.

Cuddy put her pen down and looked over at Gabrielle with a smile. "Would you like to live with them?" she asked.

Gabrielle slowly lifted her head and smiled. "I don't know. I love them all, they're very welcoming, friendly." Gabrielle shrugged. "But, you and Daddy are my first choice. Now that I've lost my mother and met my Father, I don't think that I want to let him go." Gabrielle sighed and looked down. "At first I didn't know whether or not to believe that he was my father, so I secretly had one of the doctors here perform a paternity test."

"And?" Cuddy asked with growing concern.

"He's not my father," Gabrielle announced as she blankly stared.

"Are you sure? I mean, how did you test it?" Cuddy asked with overwhelming shock.

"I… I…" Gabrielle said shaking her head in disbelief.

"You what?" Cuddy asked as she stood up.

"I…" Gabrielle sadly looked up and stared at Cuddy for a minute. Within seconds she cracked up laughing. "I so got you!" Gabrielle nearly fell over laughing. "You should have seen the look on your face," she said pointing towards Cuddy.

Cuddy narrowed her eyes on the young girl and put her hands on her hips. "Not funny!" she announced. Cuddy just sat back down and started at her work again. "I don't see how you could even begin to find that funny."

"You're only fooling yourself if you can't laugh at a situation. Like anything else in life, if it's there, then it's there, nothing you can do about it so why not just deal with it?" Gabrielle asked. She then went back to playing with Rachel. She then realized how Cuddy was blankly staring down at her papers. "There's something else on your mind isn't there?"

Cuddy sighed and looked up. "Babies," she answered.

"Gee, you're a pregnant woman with a baby right in front of you," Gabrielle said. "Quite frankly I just think you're nuts."

Cuddy sat back in her chair and stared as if in deep thought. "I see how you and House get along. You both have that same sense of warped humor and argue the same way. You're both observant and constantly watching every move. You're exactly the same, and you get along great," Cuddy explained. She then leaned forward on her desk. There was a worry, or more hurt that quickly struck her eyes. "But then, I rarely see him with Rachel. It's almost like she doesn't exist to him."

"Need me to go talk to him?" she asked as she stood up.

"Can you do that without him getting suspicious?" Cuddy asked.

"Sure can. We think a like. Remember?" Gabrielle asked and then started for the door.

"And Gabrielle?" Cuddy asked. There was a slight hesitation in her voice that Gabrielle detected as she turned around. "See how he really feels about this baby."

Gabrielle smiled. "I think he wants it," she said.

"I hope," Cuddy said.

Gabrielle sighed. She walked back and grabbed Rachel. "Trust me, he does," Gabrielle said and then left the room. She walked down the hall and entered House's office. She stood there in the background as he stood before his whiteboard.

"Okay! Thirteen! You and Kutner go run an MRI," he said using his cane to point at them. He then move his cane towards Taub's direction. "You and Foreman, go search her apartment." Every one got up and did what they needed to. House started to turn back and go off towards his office, but stopped once he saw Gabrielle.

"I assume that isn't yours," House said as she walked passed her.

Gabrielle smugly smiled. "You what assumptions do don't you?" she asked. House looked over and raised his eyebrow. "Ah, you're right. It doesn't matter, you're already an ass." Gabrielle walked over and sat down.

"Real clever. Maybe now you can go read to me what's written on the white board and point out the obvious to me so that I can see it more clearly," he said as he looked through the files on his desk. He spent a couple minutes skimming through the random pages and then looked up at Gabrielle who was fixing Rachel's hat. "Is there something you wanted? Or did Cuddy kick you out?" House asked.

"I have a personal question for you," Gabrielle said and then looked up. "What do you think about having me around?" she asked.

House sighed and went back to going through his files. "Right now I find it annoying and pointless," he said.

Gabrielle narrowed her eyes on him. "I know you too well to even consider that you didn't know what I meant by that question," she said.

"Oh come on. You've only known me for a week," House said.

"So I've been living with you and following you around, but I haven't picked up on the slightest hint of who you are?" she asked.

House picked up one of the files and limped over to the door. "You want to hear it?" he asked.

"Yes, even if you hate me," she said. She looked up into his eyes and studied them for a minute. She knew that deep down somewhere that he liked her a little. Even if it was only a tiny bit, there was still something there.

"I find you interesting," he stated and then limped out the door.

Gabrielle looked down at Rachel. "He finds me interesting. He makes me out to be more of a science experiment than a human being," she said and then looked straight ahead.

House then walked back into the room and sat down at his desk. He put his cane down and propped his feet up. "Okay, here we go," he started. Gabrielle simply raised her eyebrow in confusion as she tried to figure out what he was trying to do. "I guess I don't hate you," he started.

Gabrielle laughed. "Wow. Aren't you great at making others feel good," she remarked.

"I treat their bodies, not their feelings," he said. "Anyways, I kinda like having you around," he said. The words came out a little forced, but that was only because he had no idea what to tell her.

"You're afraid to like me because you know that I will be leaving soon," Gabrielle stated. "It's just like trying on something that you can't afford. You want to admire yourself in it and pretend that you can have it, but you have a hard time even looking at it because then you would go home wishing that you had bought it

House just stared at her. "Maybe I just don't get close to people because they bug me," House suggested.

"Right," Gabrielle said. She wasn't about to get in a fight over something that he was never going to admit. "So, what do you think about my little sissy or brother?" Gabrielle asked.

"I think you're easily attached to people," House said.

"But do you want a little baby around?" Gabrielle asked.

House just looked up and studied the situation in his head. "Did Cuddy send you here to ask me that?" he suspiciously asked.

"No, she got some important phone call and Rachel was beginning to fuss so I took her and started walking around. That was when I decided to come here," Gabrielle explained.

House sat there and thought about it. He knew that she was good at keeping secrets, so he was able to say anything that he wanted around her. "Do you really think that I would be that great of a dad?" he asked. He dropped the act for a few minutes to hear a truthful answer.

Gabrielle softly smiled. "Sure, if you try. You have to allow yourself to get close to your kid before you do anything though," she said. Gabrielle stood up and carried Rachel over and stood before House. House saw what she was doing and took his feet off of the desk. "Give it a shot," Gabrielle said as she handed the baby over to him.

House took her and cradled her in his arm. He simply stared down at her for a minute. A smile came across Gabrielle's face as watched from beside his chair. House took his finger and gently rubbed her cheek, only to receive a giggle in response. He then started to take his hand away, but Rachel wrapped her small hand around his finger and started to suck on it. "I forgot to mention that she likes to do that," Gabrielle said.

"That can't be sanitary," House said as he gently pulled his hand away. Rachel then started to cry.

"Well, I guess you just lost her interest," Gabrielle said. That was when Rachel's crying and fussing turned to wailing. "Give her your finger back," Gabrielle said starting to get annoyed with the crying.

House sighed and put his finger back by her mouth. Rachel didn't put it in her mouth, she just giggled as she looked up at House. "Not even one and the kid's playing mind games," House said.

Cuddy started walking down the hall towards House's office. She knew that Gabrielle and Rachel would be there and wanted to go get them so that she could tell Gabrielle that she was going to be down in the cafeteria in case she needed anything. She stopped a few yards from his office and watched as House sat with Rachel in his lap and Gabrielle standing beside him. Gabrielle was laughing about something as House just stared down at Rachel. She just crossed her arms and smiled as she watched them, hoping that House wouldn't see her and ruin the scene before her. She sighed and then turned and left for the cafeteria.

"So?" Gabrielle asked with over exaggeration.

House looked up at her and handed Rachel back. "What?" he asked in the same manner mocking her.

"I think you want the little itty bitty baby," she said.

"Why not? If it's a boy we can dress him up just me," he said with humor.

"Oh great, another mini you walking around," Gabrielle sarcastically remarked.

"I know, I already can't stand the first one," he retorted.

Gabrielle rolled her eyes and went to the door. Before she left, she stopped and turned around. "If it's worth anything, out of every one that I could live with, I would like to stay with you," she said as she softly smiled.

House sighed. "I never said that you couldn't," House said.

"Yeah, but I got a legal document signed by my mother that says I do," she sadly announced.

House looked down and then looked back up at Gabrielle. "Before you go, would you like to help in the teaching of another lesson to the ducklings?" he asked.

Gabrielle laughed. "Sure, but it wouldn't be as original now would it?" she asked.

"Doesn't matter. All I need to show them is that there are similar symptoms out there and that they should be sure of themselves before doing anything. I'll let you know how you can help after lunch," he said.

"Alright, I'll be waiting in Cuddy's office," Gabrielle said and then left the room with a smile on her face. She walked down the hallway with a thoughtful look in here eyes. Once she stepped into the elevator, a huge smile came across her face. She looked down at Rachel and smiled. "I think I know how to get Auntie Eloise out of the picture," she said and then pulled out her phone and dialed while she uncomfortably supported Rachel on her other arm. "Yes? Aunt Eloise? I would like to apologize. I was wondering if I could come over tonight and talk to you about what had happened," Gabrielle said with a smirk.

**I hope you liked it! Please remember to review! Thanks to those who have reviewed! And happy Fourth of July every one!!!**


	17. My Angel Gabrielle

**I would like to thank bethypage97. She was the one who said that I should have a scene with House and Rachel, something that for some reason I didn't think to do. I should have said something last chapter, but better late than never. **

Chapter 17: My Angel Gabrielle

Gabrielle sat in Cuddy's office and stared. She was in deep thought as she tried to figure out what to do. Cuddy cheerfully walked into her office and noticed her. "Something wrong?" she asked as she made her way over to her desk.

"I called Aunt Eloise, and apparently, she doesn't want me to go to her hotel room, unless I have a packed suitcase with me and am willing to stay," Gabrielle stated. She looked over at Cuddy and then casually added, "so, I'm thinking of how I can get to her room without her noticing and dig something up on her. I need it so that I can get her to not want to take me in."

"So what are you going to do?" Cuddy asked standing by her desk.

Gabrielle sweetly smiled up at her. "I was hoping you could write me a fake doctors note stating that Eloise Zbin has Alzheimer's and needs to be monitored so that I can have them call me when she leaves and give me and extra set of keys to the rook," she explained.

Cuddy tilted her head. "You know how much trouble that could get me into? Besides, do you really think that they'll believe a fifteen year old girl?" Cuddy asked.

Gabrielle rolled her eyes and smiled as if the answer was so obvious. "Well, that's where Daddy comes in. One of you writes the note and signs it and the other takes me to the hotel and gives them the note."

"I can't believe that you just sat down and thought all of this through," Cuddy said and then sat down.

Gabrielle walked over and stood before her with pleading eyes. "Look," she said and then leaned down with her hands against the desk. She waited for Cuddy to look up so that they could have eye contact. "I don't want to go live with Eloise. I am willing to do just about to keep from living with her."

"You don't have to do that. I was writing the note from the moment I sat down," Cuddy said and then handed her the small slip.

"Thank you," Gabrielle said. She went to the door to go tell House the story, but stopped. "And don't worry, if anything happens, I'll tell them that I forged your signature. I don't want any one else getting in trouble for this."

"Just don't let any one find out and you won't have to worry about that," Cuddy warned.

Before Gabrielle left, House limped through the doors and stood before Gabrielle. "Okay, roll up your left sleeve above your shoulder. I need to prick you multiple times," he announced.

"Okay," Gabrielle said and then did what he had told her to do. She rolled up her sleeve and just waited for him to do his thing.

"House!" Cuddy snapped as she saw him start to poke her with a needle. She couldn't believe what he was willing to do.

House innocently looked up. "What? She said it was okay," House said.

Gabrielle turned her head and smiled. "Yeah, I told him he could. I don't mind at all," she said.

Cuddy just shook her head and tried to ignore them.

Gabrielle slightly twinged as he began poking her. "Hey you with OCD. Can I ask a favor of you?"

"Depends," House said as he carefully continued to puncture a pattern.

"Could you take me to the hotel where Auntie dearest is staying so that I could get back at her and not have to stay with her?" she asked.

"Sure," House said and then gave his final poke. He stepped back and studied it. "I'll even give you one of my pills tonight, that ought to keep your arm from hurting."

Cuddy looked up with utter shock. "You aren't serious!" she started and then lowered her head and held her hand up. "Never mind. I don't want to know," she said. Cuddy knew that this was all ridiculous, but couldn't tell whether or not he was kidding.

That was when House pulled a pill out of his pocket and handed it to her. "Take this," he said.

Gabrielle took it and dry swallowed it. Cuddy just looked up in utter disgust, but wasn't going to say anything. "Let's go," Gabrielle said and they both left. Once they got outside of the office, Gabrielle stopped and turned to House. "That pill tasted awful sweet to me," she said with a smile.

"What? You didn't think that I was actually going to give you one of MY pills did you?" he asked. "I just wanted to freak Cuddy out." They both continued to the elevator and waited.

"You also only stabbed me about four times," she said and then looked down at her arm. The elevator door opened and they stepped in.

House just shrugged. "I'm into the whole dramatic thing," he said. "You know, putting on a play for the mistress."

Gabrielle stood there and studied the small dots forming on her arm. "You put something on that needle!" she quickly and angrily pointed out.

"Penicillin. Don't worry, it's only enough to get you to react, nothing that will actually hurt you," he said and then stepped out of the elevator as the doors opened.

Gabrielle just followed him over to the conference room where his team was waiting. They all looked up when he entered. Foreman just rolled his eyes as Gabrielle followed him. Her sleeve was rolled up and the rash forming on her arm was obvious. "House, we are not playing diagnostics with your kid. Now stop punishing the poor girl," he said.

"Serious fellow ain't he?" Gabrielle asked as she got up and sat down on the table. "I like that," she said as she smiled over at him.

House just rolled his eyes and then pointed to her arm. "What is this?" he asked. "Is it a simple rash? An allergic reaction?" he asked.

"House," Foreman warned.

"It's just an allergic reaction," Taub said.

House paused and narrowed his eyes on him. "How do you know?" he asked.

"You once brought her in here with an asthma attack, which shows that she has to be allergic to something here that would set it off, or you had her run around the hospital, but the allergy is more likely," he explained.

House gave him a nod of approval as he considered what he had just said. "And, plus you can see the punctures in her skin where you put the needle."

House snapped his fingers. "Damn, and we almost had em," he said and then motioned for her to leave. "And tell Cuddy that it was real Vicodin!" he yelled after her as she left the room.

"House, what are you doing to that kid?" Foreman asked with concern.

House shrugged. "She didn't mind it nearly as much as you do," he said. House then walked over to the whiteboard. "You're just jealous that I have something to go home to."

"Excuse me, but why was that necessary?" Thirteen asked.

"I needed to see if you could put together the obvious clues. Taub can, but I'm not too sure about the rest of you," he said.

Gabrielle walked into Cuddy's office and smiled. "Hey there," she happily greeted.

Cuddy looked up to her with sadness. There was no way that she could bring herself to tell her what she had to say. A lump formed in her throat as she stood up. "Gabrielle, we need to talk," she blankly stated.

Gabrielle curiously looked at her. "You know, that was only a sugar pill that he gave me, there wasn't any harm," she said.

Cuddy sighed and looked down. "Your Aunt Eloise didn't like the way that House was taking care of you. She called her lawyer, and since Maria did sign, you have to go stay with her or else she'll have House arrested," she explained.

Gabrielle stood there for a minute not knowing what to say. "Well, that will give me easier access to her room. If you keep that note that you signed, you and House could be called every time she left and you would know when to visit," she said.

"Right," Cuddy said. She just watched as Gabrielle stared off into the distance. "You okay?" she gently asked with concern.

"What does it matter?" she asked and then went and sat down on the couch. She just sat there and thought about the whole thing. She was stuck. Everything that she tried to prevent. "Set Mike up, maybe you can finally get him arrested," Gabrielle said.

"What?" Cuddy asked.

"You heard me. Call Mike up, tell him that you want to have him over. I'll be right outside the house with my cell phone. I'll make sure to call as soon as anything happens," she said.

"Maybe some other time. I don't feel like dealing with him," Cuddy said as she sat down.

"Because you like staying with us," Gabrielle stated.

Cuddy shrugged. She knew exactly what she was doing, but wasn't going to stop her. Not this time. "Maybe I do," she said. That answer got Gabrielle to softly smile. At least she had accomplished something while she was here.

That night, every one was quiet. It was Gabrielle's last night with her father. She barely spoke at dinner, and went to bed early. House just sat on the couch and stared at the TV. He didn't know what to do about the situation. The only noise that he heard was the TV, but even that was pretty quiet. When he realized that it was getting late, he looked around him. Cuddy was curled up in his chair asleep and Rachel was in her little cradle. That was when he decided to go to Gabrielle's room. He quietly opened the door and looked in on her. She was curled up on the couch with the blanket half off of her.

House walked over and stood beside her. As carefully as he could so that he wouldn't wake her, he leaned over and pulled the blanket up over her shoulders. She slightly stirred and smiled as she opened her eyes. "Thank you Daddy," she said.

House just smiled at her and then walked back to the door. "Daddy?" she called. House stopped and turned around. Her eyes were as bright as a blue as his, he would never forget that. She softly smiled and held her arms out.

House sighed. "If you really find it necessary," he said and limped back over to her. He sat down on the couch and embraced her for a minute.

"You know I'll find a way to come back, don't you?" she asked while still in his embrace.

"Gonna kill her off and then run away? Cause I'm sure that the country would reward you for getting rid of the common enemy," he said as he pulled away.

Gabrielle just shrugged. "I just know that this will all work out. It has to," she said. "All I need to know is that you want me to stay here with you." Her pleading eyes met his. House just stared for a minute. "Daddy? I know that there is a lot going on right now. I know that you are worried about Cuddy. I know that you are about to become a father again, but please. I just need some reassurance, because fighting won't mean anything if I find out that it was all for some one who didn't even want me around."

"Yes," he said. She could tell that this was hard for him. "Yes, yes I want you to stay alright!" he forcefully admitted. He then got up and limped to the door.

"Good night Daddy," Gabrielle said.

House stopped and lowered his head for a minute and then turned back. "Night," he mumbled and then walked away.

Gabrielle waited until he closed the door and then sighed. "Little do you know that this was supposed to happen. Little did you know that I pushed her until she would claim custody on me. Little did you know when I was asking for the note and telling you plans that I knew what she was going to do," she laid back down and pulled the covers over her. "Now I just need to get something else done so that she will give me up to my Daddy."

**Thanks to every one who has reviewed! I hope you had a good fourth of July, and please remember to review. **


	18. Behind These Eyes

Chapter 18: Behind These Eyes

Gabrielle walked into the hospital. Eloise was supposed to come and get her around lunch time so she had her suitcase with her. It was sitting up in House's office as she decided to walk around. She had remembered Wilson and where his office was. She needed some one to talk to besides either House or Cuddy. She knocked on the door.

"Come in," Wilson called from behind his desk. He looked up as he saw Gabrielle slowly enter. "Gabrielle?" he asked as if unsure of her name.

"Yes. Are you busy?" she asked still in the doorway.

"Nothing that can't wait a few minutes," he said.

Gabrielle stepped in and closed the door behind her. There was a hesitation about her that concerned him. She walked over and sat down. "Now, I know you like to gossip, but please, keep this only to yourself," she stated.

"How would you?" he started trying to figure out what was going on.

Gabrielle interrupted him and held up her hand. "Trust me, I know." He started to speak again, she stopped him, "no House did not tell me anything. Now could you please just promise me that you will keep this to yourself because if either House or Cuddy finds out about this, everything will be ruined."

"Okay, I promise," he said sensing to seriousness in her tone. He sat back and watched her.

Gabrielle leaned forward and stared down at her hands. "Well, my Aunt Eloise, she came into town and she now has legal custody of me and since she is evil I would rather stay with my Daddy," she said and then looked up and searched his eyes for his response.

"How is this lady 'evil' as you say?" Wilson asked.

"Well," Gabrielle started and then looked out the window. "She wants to raise me to be something I'm not and would take drastic measures to get me there." Gabrielle turned her head back to face him. "Not the usual parental punishment. I mean she is crazy."

Gabrielle sighed and then looked Wilson directly in the eyes. "Here comes the secretive part," she announced. She sat there and kept eye contact. "I called Aunt Eloise and pushed her into taking legal action so that she could get me to stay with her while we were out here. But, then I told both House and Cuddy that I wanted to apologize so that I could get into her hotel room and snoop for something against her. I even got Cuddy to sign a note. I gave them a completely different plan. Now, this way, they'll hopefully fight a little for me which will convince Eloise that she wasn't set up." Gabrielle sat back. "And now this way I get to see how my Daddy really feels about me."

Wilson just stared at her. "How long did it take you to plan this all out?" he asked as he sat forward.

Gabrielle shrugged. "I don't know, about five minutes," she said. "I was just walking down the hall with Rachel after I had seen my Dad."

"So, what are you going to do once you get there? Haven't you considered that maybe this won't work and you might just have to spend more time with her?" he asked.

Gabrielle smirked. "If I tell you, it would ruin it. All I can say, is this," she said and then leaned forward. "A threat is nothing until it is acted upon, and a threat can only be proven through actions."

"Okay, that's just creepy," he said.

Gabrielle laughed and then stood up. "Yeah, the way that I put it." Gabrielle made her way to the door. "But it is both completely true and relevant," she said as she opened the door.

Gabrielle left his office. All she needed to do was to tell some one. That was all that she needed to feel better about the situation. She then decided to walk over to Cuddy's office. She didn't even knock on her door, instead she casually strolled in.

"I'm busy right now," Cuddy said as she stood at her desk.

"I'm leaving in a little bit," Gabrielle said as she stood there in the middle of the office.

Cuddy looked up. "Oh, sorry," she said.

Gabrielle just laughed. "You thought it was my Dad, right?" she asked.

"I just told him this morning that he had to take on a few extra hours of clinic duty each week. I'm waiting for him to come in with a reason as to why he can't do it," she explained.

Gabrielle just walked over and sat down by Rachel. "I don't think that I can bring her here any more with out you here to watch her," Cuddy said.

"I'll bring her with me so that I can tell Eloise that she's mine," Gabrielle stated. She then looked up and smiled. "A better touch would be telling her that I don't know who the dad is." She then looked down and smiled at Rachel. "Guess what? You get my room now!" she said and then tickled the baby causing her to giggle. "Bye bye Rachel," she said and then stood up.

"I guess I'll see you in Hawaii," Gabrielle said facing Cuddy. She then walked over to the desk and leaned on the opposite side from her. "You are going, right?" she asked.

"I sure hope so," she said and then looked up. "I just have to be extremely careful. I already lost two and if I lose another," her eyes started to slightly water.

Gabrielle shook her head. "Don't go there. It's gonna work out, I mean, everything happens for a reason," she started but the stopped and cringed as she caught herself. What she had meant to say came out completely wrong. She looked up and saw Cuddy standing there as still as she could while her head was slightly down. There was no expression on her face what so ever. "You know that's not what I meant," she said.

"I know," Cuddy quietly responded.

"Hey," Gabrielle said as she walked around to the other side of the desk. The last thing that she wanted to do today was upset some one other that Eloise. She knew that she had just poked at a sensitive topic and was mentally kicking herself for it. "You know that you're a good mother, I have told you that. I wouldn't have guessed that you were one unless you showed it," she tried to cover her slip up.

Cuddy looked up and bit her lip. "It's okay," she said and then looked down.

Gabrielle walked over and hugged her. "You are a great mother," she said and then let go. She backed up and smiled. "I'll call tonight. I want to hear from Daddy that he misses me."

"Knowing you, you probably would pull it from him some how," Cuddy said.

Gabrielle walked over to the door and turned back. "Bye Cuddy, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye. And good luck," Cuddy said.

With that, Gabrielle was out of the room and off to House's office. She felt bad about how she had left Cuddy, but she had to get going. She made her way to the floor and over to his office. When she got there, his team was walking out of his office. "Bye every one," she said.

They each gave their good bye just figuring that she said good bye since they were leaving the office. She walked in and saw House sitting at his desk while staring over at the luggage. "Any one bother to ask about that?" Gabrielle asked.

House was snapped out of his thought and then quickly turned. "We were in the conference room, no one saw it," he said.

Gabrielle went and sat down. All she had to do was wait for Eloise to get there and pick her up. That was when everything was going to start. From the minute that she saw the woman to the minute that Eloise gave up. One thing about her was that she always knew people's weak points, and boy did she know Eloise's. "I don't think that I'll be with her very long. After the funeral, I may coming back home with you," she said.

"You think that huh?" House asked.

"Yep," she said and then looked up at him. "You do want me to come back, don't you?" she asked.

"Well, you are good to use for medical demonstrations," he started. "And, you aren't as annoying as most people that I know."

"Thanks," she said.

"So, yeah," he mumbled.

"What was that?" she smugly asked.

"Yes," he said a bit louder.

Gabrielle laughed as she sat back. "I knew it!" she said. Before she could say anything else her phone went off. She quickly answered it and then hung up. "She's here," Gabrielle said and then put the phone away.

"Bye Gabi," House said.

Gabrielle walked over and grabbed her things. "I'll be back, I promise," she smugly stated as she looked up at House. She then walked over and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks for everything."

House just watched her walk away. "I guess with you a promise is almost a guarantee," he joked.

Gabrielle softly laughed. "I guess it is," she said and then walked out the door.

House just sat there and watched her leave. He wanted her to stay, it was hard for him to admit, but he had grown to like her. There had been a curiosity and interest from the beginning, but now he didn't want her to leave.

That night Gabrielle sat at the table in the corner of the hotel room as Eloise slept. She decided to work on her report.

_A person's strongest emotions and hidden feelings. Sometimes, the slightest actions can set something off. Times of crisis often bring about many emotions. More often than not fear, the fear for yourself, and the fear for others which leads you to feel protective, like a mother for her child. It can also bring about love. When some one sees another suffering and decides to help them. Love also comes into play when you lose something dear to you. Something, that could never come back. Every one feels this sooner or later, that is when we grow closest to those around us. _

Gabrielle sighed in the dim light as she dropped her pen. A small tear trickled down her cheek. "I already lost my mother, I'll be damned if I let Eloise the evil take my Dad out of the picture," she said and then looked over and stared at the sleeping lady.


	19. Fragile

Chapter 19: Fragile

Gabrielle awoke the next morning. Today the family was supposed to gather together to plan Maria's funeral. First, she wanted to go meet with her Daddy, but knowing that her Aunt wouldn't allow it, she had to find a way. That was why she had was now standing above a dust covered table. "The maids may clean the front, but they sure do leave out what you can't see," she said and then used her hand to create a cloud of it. She started coughing, and wheezing a bit.

Eloise rushed out of the bathroom and stood there. "Gabrielle Marie-Elise Zbin, what do you think you're doing?" she asked.

Gabrielle thought that she had better dramatize it a bit more, so she fell to her knees and forced herself to cough harder, which in turn, caused some blood. "Oh no, Gabrielle," she said seeing a few red dots on the carpet.

Cameron walked down the row of beds in the ER and then stopped once she got to Gabrielle. "Don't I know you?" she asked.

"You bet, I'm the evil mini House plotting to take over the hospital and turn you all into my own personal part time slaves," she said.

Cameron looked down at her chart. "Acute asthma attack?" she asked.

"Had to find some way to get here," Gabrielle said and then looked over at her. "You mind if I go see my Daddy?" she asked.

"You faked an asthma attack so that you could get to the hospital?" Cameron asked with disbelief. She knew who the girl was and had a good idea, of how she was like, but this was a little far fetched for her to believe.

"Yeah, it's like some morbid cry for attention," she said and then stood up. "I knew I had asthma and I knew exactly how to set it off. Unless my idea here is completely bogus, I don't think any one has to do anything to find out what had happened."

Gabrielle started to walk away, but Cameron grabbed her sleeve. "Wait? Shouldn't you go ask your mother first?" Cameron asked.

Gabrielle froze and slowly turned back to her. "My mother?" she asked.

"Yeah," Cameron answered becoming confused.

Gabrielle shook her head. "Where did you get the idea that she was my mother?" she asked. Of course she knew that it was an easy mistake to make, an older woman with a kid, you assume it's hers. But, she also knew that there had to be something to fill out. Some form there. Cameron handed her the form that Eloise had filled out after she had been taken in. "She put down that she was m mother?" she nearly shrieked. Gabrielle looked up at Cameron who was just trying to figure out what was going on. Gabrielle shook her head in disbelief and then pointed down at the paper in her hand. "Eloise Zbin is not my mother! My mother is dead!" she explained.

"I'm sorry," Cameron said with disbelief. She took the form back and stared at it. "Maybe I should go and get the correct information from her," she said.

"While you do that, am I allowed to go see my Father? You may not understand, but this is one of the only times that I will get to see him," she said. There was no expression in her voice what so ever, but the begging and sadness in her eyes was apparent.

"Sure, I'll make sure that she stays out there and that no one else tells her what you're doing," Cameron said as she saw the importance in all of this.

"Thank you, you don't know how much I appreciate this," Gabrielle said. She then started to walk away.

Cameron turned back to her. "Can I ask one question?" she asked.

"I think you just did," Gabrielle said as she stopped and turned around. "But I'm sure that your next one was going to be why, right?" she asked. Cameron gave her a nod in response. Gabrielle just bit her lip and lowered her eyes. "Not to offend you, I do think I can trust you, but some things are just meant to be kept in the family." With that, she turned and left.

House stood in the middle of Cuddy's office as he complained about his case. She simply sat behind her desk. "How do you expect me to know what's wrong if you won't let me biopsy his brain?" House nearly yelled.

Cuddy sighed and looked up. "Are you able to completely dismiss an aneurism?" she asked.

"Of course I can!" he answered.

Gabrielle then suddenly stormed into the room. Without knocking or anything, she simply threw open the door and walked over and stood before House. "We need to talk," she sternly stated.

"What did I do?" House asked.

"Nothing! You did nothing! I love you for that! It's that snake out there that needs to keep her nose out of my ass and do nothing!" Gabrielle exclaimed.

House sighed and then looked up. "Well, you certainly got a colorful way of putting it don't you?" he asked.

"Do you two want to be alone?" Cuddy asked. "Because I have a feeling that as you two need to be alone."

Gabrielle turned to her, "no, no one here has to leave. As a matter of fact, I want you both to stay for story time today."

House looked over at Cuddy. "Oh, little miss moppet's going to explain to us why we shouldn't sit under trees," he added with his usual humor.

"Close, I'm going to tell you when it's okay to bite the hand that feeds you," she said as she put her hands on her hips.

"When the food that you're getting fed is poisonous," House said as he stood there in deep thought.

Gabrielle looked over. "I just helped you with a case didn't I?" she asked. House then just turned and walked out of the room.

Cuddy just looked over. "Don't feel bad, he does that an awful lot," she said.

"That's okay, I would feel a heck of a lot worse if some thing happened to a patient because I wanted him to listen to me instead of doing what he needed," Gabrielle said.

"He'll be back. He always comes back to rub something in my face," Cuddy said and then looked over the file before her.

"Human instinct," Gabrielle mumbled in deep thought.

"What was that?" Cuddy asked.

Gabrielle acted as if she hadn't heard what Cuddy had asked and then walked out of the room. As quickly as she walked out, she turned back and poked her head in the door. "Could you please make sure that my Dad gets to the Holiday Inn by eight?" she asked.

"Sure," Cuddy said.

"Thanks," she said and then pulled out her cell phone. "You don't mind if I make a call do you?" she asked as she dialed.

"Would it matter what I said?" Cuddy asked. She could see that she was on a certain train of thought. Gabrielle just didn't seem to care about anything else.

"Nope," Gabrielle answered. She held the phone up to her ear and waited. There was a minute of silence before she finally spoke. "Hey, Grandpa? It's Gabrielle," she said. "Thank you, I guess I should be apologizing for loss too." Gabrielle sighed and looked down. "I know," she said and then looked over towards the door. "Actually, yes. I, I was wondering how much my mother was supposed to get in your will," Gabrielle hesitated with what she had to say, but slowly forced it out. She was now nervous and just wanted to hear the answer. "Oh…" she said and then widened her eyes in shock. "And that all goes to Eloise now?" she asked with disbelief. "Yeah, thanks, bye," she said and then hung up and walked out the door.

Cuddy stood in the doorway of her office with her coat on. House was making his way over to her office. He had been stopping at her office to get her ever since they had been living together. He had been claiming that it was so that he didn't have to stand there and wait for her, but she and Gabrielle knew better. "You ready yet?" he asked as he swung open the door.

Cuddy went and grabbed her hat. "Remember, we're going to the hotel," Cuddy said. "But first we have to go get Rachel from the babysitter."

"Okay," he said in response. House held the door open for her as she walked out.

"What this? No complaining?" Cuddy asked. She was a little surprised by his behavior.

"Well," House said as he limped along side of her. "I know the Zbins. It'll be like free tickets to Pro Wrestling. I figure that ought to be some entertainment for the night," he said.

Cuddy just rolled her eyes and they both stopped before the door. "Just behave yourself tonight. You know that this can't be easy for Gabrielle," Cuddy warned as they faced each other.

"Since when aren't I on my best?" he asked and then got the door for her.

Cuddy walked out and waited for him. "You know what I mean," she said.

House caught up to her and laughed. "What are you talking about? You're the pregnant, single parent here. Queen Eloise might throw you out for that," he stated.

Cuddy turned and cockily looked to him. "You're the one who put it there," she reminded him. She had a much better comeback, but her train of thought was gone once she had seen his ice blue eyes that seemed to give off their own small glow in the snow. The snow flakes were gently falling around him, a scene that she would never erase from her mind.

"Only because you let me," he said. He watched her as the snow fell, the white flakes occasionally landing in her black curls. Her smile as she listened to him and thought of what to say.

Cuddy's smile faded to a more serious look as she stared into his eyes. "What would you say if I thanked you for it?" she asked. She truly wanted to know how he felt about her and his baby.

"I'd say anytime," he said gazing into her eyes.

"Thank you," she said.

They each slowly leaned in and kissed each other. Nothing fancy like they had done, just a simple kiss that seemed to mean a whole lot more.

"Anytime," House said still in a daze.

"I'm sure," Cuddy said. She smiled and then turned and started to walk towards the car.

"Hey, Cuddy?" he called out.

Cuddy stopped and waited as he came up to join her. "Yes?" she asked as he approached her side. She was hoping to hear him ask her out again.

"I just want to warn you. With your history, I wouldn't get too attached to that baby so early," he said.

Cuddy stepped back in shock and stared with her mouth agape. "You don't think it's going to work out do you?" she asked. His words had struck her and hurt her more than she had ever imagined. Tears started to swell up in her eyes. She tried as hard as she could, but there was no use in even trying to fight them.

"Cuddy, I just don't want you to get hurt if it doesn't work out. I was there when the last one didn't work. I saw what it did to you," he said.

Cuddy sighed, she remembered that night very well. The painful memories came flooding back. He was saying it only because he cared, he was never going to admit it, but in the back of her head, she believed that if Gabrielle were there she would be telling her that he cared and he would be arguing it. "I know," she simply stated and then walked ahead of him back to the car.

Gabrielle sat in the small living room area of the hotel room that belonged to her uncle Jeff. The room was packed with random family members as they all took their seats. They were all going to plan out Maria's funeral, something Gabrielle felt she could do on her own. Gabrielle was on the couch with Tiffany and Darla as they talked. The only thing that bothered her was when Eloise came over and sat down next to her on the chair. She knew that Eloise was wanting to monitor everything that she was doing, and hated every minute of it.

"So, you were living with your Father?" Tiffany asked. She was Maria's sister in law, but they were friends before she and Ted got married. That was how they had met, but Gabrielle thought it would be just too awkward for a friend to be dating her brother.

Tiffany Zbin was in her mid forties. A petite blonde with short hair, rounded face, and dark brown eyes. Darla, who sat beside her was seventeen. She had the same rounded face as her mother, but her eyes were a bright green, and her hair was long and brown.

"Yep. I loved it to," Gabrielle said so that Eloise could hear her. "He and Cuddy were great. I was pushing those two to date," Gabrielle said.

Darla arched her brow. "You're not using those two as a distraction are you?" she asked starting to get suspicious.

"What do you mean?" Gabrielle asked trying to play dumb.

"Every time something bad happens, you bring up some one else's problems and try to solve those," Tiffany answered and then sighed. "And right now, you need to focus on your own."

Gabrielle just looked down towards the ground and thought for a minute. She was often too scared to face her own problems, and apparently, others were catching on.

Eloise looked over, "You know dear, you wouldn't have so many problems to focus on if you weren't living with such messed up people," she said and then sat back.

Darla looked over and saw Gabrielle just stare. There was a knock at the door and Darla instantly got up to answer it.

Gabrielle shook her head in disbelief. Cuddy and House walked in and stood back by the door behind her. "You have the nerve to even think about other people's problems?" she asked as she stood up.

Eloise calmly looked up. "Don't take this out on me. It's not my fault that your Father is a complete loser," she stated.

Gabrielle got closer until she was about to step on the woman's feet. "Loser!? Loser!? He has his own diagnostic team! He and his team can figure out illnesses quicker and faster then the others around here! He has ways of thinking and brainstorming that no one else would even think to do that happen to save lives! Not to mention that he got his money legally!" she yelled.

House smiled as he leaned down on his cane. He knew where this was going.

Eloise sat there as poised and calm as she could. Gabrielle's words seemed to have no affect on her. "What about that tramp he hangs around with?" she asked. Gabrielle could see it that Eloise was trying to get to her. She was trying to either get her mad or to get her to agree.

Gabrielle smirked and stood back with her hands on her hips. "Tramp?" she smugly asked. "Is some one a little jealous that she got to sleep with some one you didn't?" she asked.

That got Eloise, and every one could see it. "How dare you you little bitch," Eloise said.

Gabrielle ironically laughed. "Yeah? I am a bitch. So what? If I were near that bad you wouldn't even want to take me in!" she stated. She stared into Eloise's cold eyes. "Of course, unless there's something else behind it," she calmly suggested.

"What are you trying to say?" Eloise asked.

"You know how much money Maria was supposed to get. You also know that who ever gets me, gets that money, and you need money because you're getting older and your clients are moving on!" Gabrielle said.

"You can see the bad in me and find the most disturbing ways to pick at me! Why the hell can't you do it to those who deserve it the most?" Eloise asked with that snobby tone of hers.

"House and Cuddy never did anything to me. If anything they only helped me. My father who didn't even know me, the one who had every right to ignore me and be mad towards me for what had happened, took me in. Cuddy who barely even knows me, was there for me," Gabrielle sighed and then turned around. Her eyes widened as she saw House and Cuddy standing by the door. She softly smiled at them and then turned back to Eloise. "I'd choose them over you any day."

"What we want isn't always what we need," she said.

"I know, you wanting to stay alive is plenty proof of that," Gabrielle retorted.

"Good one Gabi!" House called out and the held up his cane. "Let me know if you need this to trip her or something."

"Appreciate it Dad," Gabrielle answered. She then turned to Eloise and sighed as she crossed her arms. "You're pathetic, you really are. You get yourself used to a life style that you never deserved in the first place and then you can't admit that you were wrong so you stoop down to finding a way to steal it. You knew that when you had Maria sign me over."

Eloise sternly stared at her. Every one in the room could feel the tension as the silence dragged out. Her fists were clenched at her sides. That was when Gabrielle had known that something was going to happen. That it was over now. "You little spoiled brat," she uttered and then punched her in the jaw.

Gabrielle fell to the floor. She propped herself up on her elbows, and was starting to hurt her broken arm, but didn't care. All she could do was stare at Eloise. Cuddy handed Rachel to House and ran over to her side. House just stood there and blankly stared at Eloise. "You okay?" Cuddy asked as she helped Gabrielle to sit up.

Gabrielle rubbed her jaw where she had been hit. "Thanks, I'm fine," she said and then slowly stood up. She looked straight into Eloise's eyes. There was nothing to say. She simply just walked out of the room.

"She's not your's any more Eloise," Tiffany stated and then looked towards the door.

"Even I wouldn't hit a child," House sneered.

Cuddy walked over to House. "I'll go talk to her, just, please, just watch Rachel for a moment," she pleaded.

"Sure," House said. He was still in a daze. He wanted to go out there and talk to Gabrielle, but he knew that Cuddy would do a much better job.

Cuddy walked out the door and saw Gabrielle leaning against the wall. "You want to come back with us? You can still have your little office area or what ever it was that he gave you," Cuddy said as she walked over.

Gabrielle looked up and smiled. "Yes, I would. Thank you," she said and then stared forward. A smile slowly came across her face.

"What?" Cuddy asked.

"I did it," she said and looked over. "I got her to go overboard and now no one will let her take me."

"You planned this out?" Cuddy asked with sudden interest.

Gabrielle looked at her. "Yeah, I had this planned while I was asking you to sign the note. I had gotten her to take actions to get me before I even walked into your office."

Cuddy looked to her with concern as she walked over to her. "You mean to tell me that you knew what I was going to tell you before I told you that you had to live with her?" Cuddy asked.

"Yes, everything from that morning until now was all set up. I wanted you and Daddy to think it was all her and then I could set her up with out any one interfering. I just wanted to make sure that Eloise didn't know and since I don't know what kind of actors you people are, I allowed it to be real to you," she explained.

Cuddy just shook her head. "You know you could get just about you wanted if you tried?" she asked. She knew that Gabrielle was very smart, and it showed. She didn't think it very smart for her to put herself in danger of anything, but she did get what she needed.

"It's not like any one else would ever get it for me," she said.

Cuddy just stood there and watched her for a minute. "You know, if you need anything," Cuddy started, but was cut off.

"I know. I've heard it before, and trust me, I do believe you. But, sometimes you just need to do it yourself," she explained.

"And no one can ever help you," Cuddy sarcastically remarked.

Gabrielle shook her head. "It's just that sometimes I need to prove to myself that I can do it."

Cuddy saw the look of concern on her face. "What are you afraid of?" she asked.

Gabrielle looked over and examined her face. "I've lost my mom, I'm gonna lose my friends, I have a wicked Aunt in there riding me for my money. Everything is changing and I feel like I'm losing control. I just need to prove to myself every once in a while that I do have some control." Gabrielle seemed to be opening up and becoming more vulnerable then she had been.

"You're not losing everything, and you certainly aren't losing control. It's just different," Cuddy said.

"I don't know about that," Gabrielle said. "While I was with Eloise, I would think to myself that I might fall apart. My life was far from perfect to begin with and I kept thinking about what would happen if this didn't work." Gabrielle stared down and then smiled back up at Cuddy. "Then I would picture myself all prim and proper and puke a little in my mouth," she joked.

Cuddy just slightly chuckled. "Right," she said.

With that they both headed back into the room.


	20. Only Memories Remain

Chapter 20: Only Memories Remain

Gabrielle was back, with her Father, she was home. The surroundings hadn't changed. She sat in the small office area as she gazed over at the window. All she could see was the streaks of water as the rain hit the window and the occasional flash of light before the loud crash of thunder. It was weird how the weather had reflected her emotions that night. The paper before her, blank. The pen she held in her hand hovered over the notebook, but no words came out. Tomorrow were the showings, and then the next day was the funeral. She had to write the eulogy.

Gabrielle sighed and looked over at the clock, one in the morning. She knew that she had to wake up early, but this was also the only chance that she had to sit down and write this. She was sitting against the closed door, the only light in the room came from the small lamp in the corner. It didn't matter though, it wasn't like she had anything that she had to read over, and the chances of her getting anything written down were about zero to none.

Gabrielle leaned against the door as she heard Rachel begin to cry. "Mommy's here," she heard Cuddy say. Gabrielle lifted her head and looked over towards the window again. "Mommy's here," she softly repeated to herself.

_Gabrielle was four years old as she stood in her Mother's doorway. "Mommy!" she cried out with tears down her face. _

"_What is it Gabi?" Maria asked as she was trying to wake up. _

"_Storm," the little girl yelled as she pointed to the rain out the window. _

_Maria sat up and yawned. "Do you want to stay here tonight?" she asked._

_Gabrielle nodded. There was a loud crash of thunder which sent her running over to the bed. The little girl trembled as she got under the covers. Maria put her arm around her and tried to sooth her. "Don't worry, Mommy's here, and she's not going anywhere."_

Gabrielle tightly closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the door. "What happened this time?" she asked.

Gabrielle sighed and got up. She threw the pad of paper down on the floor and walked over to the other side of the room. There was nothing that she could think to write. All she had were random memories. Memories that were now being brought on by simple little actions. As if they were trying to taunt her. She just stared out at the window. Across the street there were balloons tied to the railing of the stairs on the front porch.

_Gabrielle was ten as she sat at the kitchen table. "Mommy!" she called as she heard the door open. _

_Maria dragged her feet as she entered the kitchen after another hard day. She had lost her job over at the diner so she became a maid over at the hotel. "Hey sweetie," she responded as she dropped her purse down on the counter and started rummaging through the cabinets._

"_You don't remember do you?" Gabrielle asked. Her arms were crossed as she sat and glared at Maria._

"_Don't remember what?" she asked without paying much attention to the little girl._

"_I turned ten today Mom," Gabrielle bitterly stated. _

_Maria's eyes widened as she slowly turned. "Are you sure?" she nervously asked. Guilt was starting to set in once she saw the disappointment on her daughter's face. _

"_You shouldn't have to ask that," Gabrielle sternly stated and then got up from the table and walked over to her mother. She stood there before her speechless mother and stared into her eyes. "I know you're busy and that you need the money, but is it so hard to just say happy birthday to me without having to tell you it's my birthday?" she asked and then walked out of the room. _

Gabrielle just sighed and walked back over to the door. She gave the room one last glance over and then walked out and softly closed the door behind her. Cuddy turned and looked to her as if she were asking what was wrong. Gabrielle just shook her head and continued into the kitchen. She just needed something, she had no idea what she needed, but she had to do something other than just sit in her room. It was going to start driving her nuts if she would have stared at the blank paper for another minute.

She sighed as she grabbed an apple off the counter. She softly laughed at the thought of her father actually buying fruit. That was how she knew that Cuddy had done the grocery shopping for the week. There was nothing but a silent darkness that surrounded her in the kitchen, so she decided to make her way back to her room. She turned the corner of the hallway and paused as she saw House standing right outside of his room.

"Hey Gabi, what are you doing up? Have some shameful part time phone job that you don't want me to know about?" he asked.

"What brought that up? Is that what you decided to do tonight instead of your porn?" she asked.

Cuddy just shook her head down at Rachel. "And to believe that there are going to be little kids running around while these two are at it," she said.

"You don't have to worry, just make sure that the keyboard isn't sticky before any one uses it," Gabrielle said.

House smirked as he made his way to the kitchen. "How did you know? I didn't think that you ever used that computer," he said.

Cuddy just shook her head in disgust and turned her attention back to Rachel. Gabrielle stood there for a second and stared at the computer out of the corner of her eyes. She then looked around the room and then slowly reached over and touched the keyboard. "EW!" she shrieked with her voice at a high pitched level that no one around had heard from her yet.

"Remember when you set your pop down over there after dinner and then I tripped you with my cane and hit the table and knocked your can over?" House called from the kitchen.

"Oh yeah," Gabrielle said smiling with relief.

Cuddy sighed as she put Rachel in her bassinette. "Is there a reason you two are up? Because I just got Rachel back to sleep and I would like to do the same thing," Cuddy said.

House stepped out of the kitchen with a sandwich in his hand. "Just needed a snack," he said. "I thought that was something I was able to do in my own home." He got halfway through the room and stopped. "See, I would like to say House, cus that would be like a pun, but I only have an apartment," he continued on his way. "Isn't life cruel?" he asked.

"I'm trying to wrote a eulogy," Gabrielle said. She just stood there quietly as House limped passed her and then stopped.

"Why? They stick you with it?" he asked as he turned around.

"No, I volunteered," Gabrielle said.

"And again, why?" he asked.

"Gee, her Mom dies and she wants to do something to honor her. What was she thinking?" Cuddy sarcastically asked.

"Actually,: Gabriella stated as she turned to House. "Before you two start your usual exchange of comments, could you please help me with it?"

"Okay, let me get this straight. You lived with her for fifteen years, and you're asking a man that she left fifteen years ago after dating for a few weeks?" he asked. "Just to start out, I think your opinion of her would be a bit higher than mine would."

"I just want to know," Gabrielle said starting to look down timidly towards the floor. "Did she want me?" she nervously asked.

House's shoulders seemed to slump as she asked. "You want the truth?" he carefully asked.

"I wouldn't ask if I wanted a lie," Gabrielle stated looking back up.

"My condom broken in the middle of it," he said putting it as gently as he could think to do it. That was something her was not used to, so it was a little harder for him to find a delicate way to state the answer.

"House," Cuddy snapped.

"It's okay," Gabrielle said as she stood there. She was thinking about what she had heard. It wasn't a total surprise to her, any dunce could have figure out what had happened based on the situation alone. And most importantly, usually if some one asks if you want to hear the truth, it isn't good. "At least he didn't lie to me. Besides, the truth is the truth, lying about it doesn't change anything. The only thing that is different now is the fact that I am sure of it now, that's all. I mean, I always had the idea, I just had to know whether or not it was true." Gabrielle sighed and looked blankly towards the side.

"You're okay with that?" Cuddy asked.

Gabrielle turned around, "hey, she kept me, didn't she?"

The room was quiet for a moment. Gabrielle then turned to House. "I know I have asked you this before, but I just want to make sure, do you want to keep me?" she asked.

"You're here aren't you?" he asked. He had answered the question different ways, but they all had the same tone to them. They all lead to yes.

Gabrielle smugly smiled. She knew what he meant, even if she had only known him for a little while. "So, is there any fond memories of her?" Gabrielle asked. She wanted more than just her random memories to go off of, and right now it was hard for her to concentrate.

House sighed. Gabrielle could tell by the look of annoyance on his face that he didn't want to talk about it. "You hate her don't you?" Gabrielle asked. There was a subtle disappointment in her voice that matched her eyes. There was nothing that he could have said to make her feel better, even if he would have lied about it, she would have known. "What did she do? Why do you hate her?" Gabrielle asked.

House walked passed her and sat down at the computer chair. He just looked down and shrugged as he gathered the events in his head. It had been a awhile since he had recalled what had happened, but he now needed to. He looked up and saw Gabrielle patiently awaiting his answer. "Well, we met at a bar. I hadn't been working here yet, I was still looking for a job and I was in Michigan. Anyways, we both got drunk and woke up the next day with each other." House stopped and looked around as if he were trying to think of what happened next. "Then she yelled at me and told me that she never wanted to see me again. Well, that didn't work out to well since she showed up at my place drink again and we ended up the next morning the same way had before." He looked back up and regained eye contact with his daughter. "Then she decided to stay with me, but she wanted to make sure that we were going to be honest with each other, so I said okay and agreed to that." House looked down towards the ground. "I started to like her. So we dated and had a fun time, but then she started becoming angry towards me. She was hiding things, rarely going out with me." He sighed and paused. "Anyways, I tried to find out what was wrong, and she started acting normal again." He again, painfully looked up at Gabrielle. "The last night we saw each other, she yelled at me. She told me that I was the worst thing that had ever happened to her and that she would rather die than to see my face again," House paused and sighed, "that was the night that I showed up at her door with an engagement ring."

Gabrielle just blankly stared at him for a minute. "You took me in because I was the only part of her you could have," she said.

"I took you in because you were different from every other idiot out there. It interest me to see that there are rational people out there," he said.

"I can't be that rational if I'm hanging onto a dead person like I am," Gabrielle said hanging her head.

"Yeah, well, at least you know that it's irrational," House said and then got up and went back to his bedroom.

Gabrielle just sighed and walked back into her room. It was obviously no use trying to write it now. All she could think about was what House had told her. Also, the rushing memories didn't make it any easier to sum up her life, especially when Maria had been very secretive about her past.

Gabrielle slowly stepped into her room and turned out the light. In the still darkness, she stood there for a minute and looked out the window as the rain fell. She walked over and stood by the window as she stared out. The soft bluish glow cast on her face. She then slowly made her way over to the couch and got beneath the covers. She dropped the paper and fell asleep.


	21. The Morning Of

Chapter 21: The Morning Before

It was the morning of the showings. They were each later on in the day, so every one was going to take their time getting ready. Gabrielle just sat in her room going through the clothes that she had brought with her. She was starting to wonder why she hadn't thought to go out get something to wear earlier. She just plopped down on the couch and stared up at the ceiling. "At least Daddy decided to wear something decent," she said to herself. The fact that he was going and that he was dressing up a little for it meant a lot to her.

Gabrielle got up and walked out into the living room. "Cuddy, do you have anything that I can borrow?" Gabrielle asked. She silently stood in the doorway.

Cuddy looked over. "Sure, and we could also go out and but something if you want to," she suggested. She knew how hard things were going to be for Gabrielle, and wanted to make them a little easier if possible.

"Why don't do you just dye your hair pink and wear jeans? She liked you like that didn't she?" House asked.

She briefly cracked a small smile. "Okay, to Cuddy's idea. But your's was good to," Gabrielle said and then slipped back into her room. That was the first time that they had heard her like that. Her voice was flat and emotionless.

"You would think that some one had slipped the girl a valium or something," House said.

Cuddy turned and sighed. "Her mother died, how do you want her to act?" she asked.

"Don't be over protective of me. I would rather that you two did act like nothing happened," Gabrielle said as she walked over to join the two by the couch. Her face was almost as still as a manikin as she just stood there and looked towards the floor. It was as if everything had hit her right then and there, like it was all sinking in and she was trying to find a way to deal with it.

"Okay," Cuddy said and then handed her the keys from her purse. "You can go down and start the car, I'll be there in a minute." She was wanting to talk to House a lone for a minute before she left.

Gabrielle took the keys and left. Cuddy and House stood there for a minute. Cuddy finally turned and faced House. "All I ask is that you be gentle on her today. I know that she is one of the only ones who walks away from your insults with a smile, but just consider what she's going through and try to act human for a couple days," she said.

House reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet and handed Cuddy his credit card. "Get her whatever she wants," he stated.

Cuddy grabbed the card and slid it into her purse. "I'm leaving Rachel with you. All you have to do is basically just keep her in the same room with you. She's already been fed and changed and all of that," she said and then grabbed her coat and left. He had wanted to protest, but he knew that Gabrielle needed her more right now.

House just stood there and looked down at Rachel. "Just you and me kid," he said. He heard Rachel laugh. "That scares me that you find that funny," he stated.

Gabrielle and Cuddy stood in the fitting room of the store as Gabrielle walked out with a black button down shirt with short sleeves that had small bows at end and a black skirt that went down to knees. "That looks good," Cuddy said.

"Yeah, I just wish that I didn't have this stupid cast," Gabrielle said bringing her attention to her arm.

Cuddy softly smiled. "You still look good," she commented.

"Okay, I think I'll go with this one," Gabrielle said and then went back into the small room and changed.

Cuddy sat there and waited. She was waiting for Gabrielle to break down at any moment. Every time she had seen her face that day, all she could think was how fragile she was. All she wanted to do was get her through the next couple days.

Gabrielle was quiet through the rest of the trip as they got her a pair of black heels and some nylons. "Thank you," Gabrielle said as they got back to the car.

Cuddy looked over at her, "Actually, your father gave me his card to pay for it. I think you should thank him," she said.

They both got into the car and Gabrielle stared straight ahead. "But you did take me to go shopping." Gabrielle just stared straight ahead. The same blank expression. Cuddy just sighed and then started the car.

House stood in front of the mirror as he held Rachel. "Does this look right to you?" he asked. He knew that he was going to have to become Daddy to two little babies. He knew that if he was part of his own kids life that Rachel would be a part of the deal. "Why do you always do that?" he asked as he looked down and saw her sucking on his finger.

He let her keep his finger as he limped back to the living room where her bassinette was and set her down. "I don't think you know the first thing about hygiene," he stated. House then took his finger away and waited a minute. She didn't cry. She only stared up at him with her big blue eyes. He then started to walk away, but stopped as soon as she cried. He turned and stood over her again. She stopped as soon as she saw him. "What? You think that this is funny?" he asked. He only received a giggle in response. "Of course you do," he said as he rolled his eyes.

Cuddy and Gabrielle then walked through the door. Cuddy smiled at House standing over the crib, but sighed as Gabrielle just passed through the room. "I'll be right back," Cuddy said and then followed her.

Gabrielle just sat there and stared. She wasn't looking at anything in particular, it just didn't matter to her. All she could think about was the fact that she after all of this, everything was going to be different. That there was going to be something missing. Her mom.

"Can I come in?" Cuddy gently asked as she knocked on the door.

"Sure," Gabrielle said.

Cuddy stepped in and closed the door behind her. She stood there for a minute. "Look, I know that this must be hard," Cuddy started.

"Two miscarriages and an adoption that fell through, I know," Gabrielle stated. She knew that Cuddy was trying to explain to her that she knew how it felt to lose some one, but right now, she just wante dto be left alone.

Cuddy looked down and gathered her thoughts for a minute and then looked back up at her. "I just wanted to let you know, that if you need anything at all," she started.

Gabrielle looked up. "Look, I am grateful, for everything you and Daddy have done. And I do trust both of you, but right now, I just need to think for a while," she explained.

Cuddy softly smiled in understanding. "Okay," she said and then turned to leave.

"But, I will need you two tomorrow," Gabrielle said. Cuddy turned back and saw her eyes beginning to water. She nodded and then left.


	22. Protecting Gabrielle

Chapter 22: Protecting Gabrielle

House and Cuddy both stood by the door to the funeral home as they both just watched Gabrielle. She had a fake smile pasted on her face as she talked to various people in the crowd. It was the second showing, so they had already seen how she acts at these places. There was a certain tenseness in her face as she talked. Every time she walked passed the closed casket or turned to look back at it, she closed her eyes and cringed.

House just sighed. "I'm gonna go get something to drink," he said. Truth was, he just hated to see Gabrielle like that and didn't want to be in the same room as it was going on.

"Okay, just don't be too long," Cuddy said. She hated the idea of standing there by herself. When ever people would walk in, they would stop and compliment on how cute Rachel was, and then walk away.

She smiled down at Rachel and then gently tickled under her chin and watched her smile and giggle. She then quickly looked up as soon as Gabrielle passed her and grabbed her coat. "Oh God," Cuddy said and then walked over to House. He was in a little with the two bathrooms, two chairs and a kitchen set up. He simply stood before the snack table as he picked at the little cookies and what ever they had there. "House?" she asked as she opened the door.

"Yes?" he asked as he looked over.

Cuddy sighed and walked over. "Gabrielle just walked out. I think one of us should go talk to her," Cuddy said.

"And?" he asked and then turned to her. "Do you think I should go talk to her? Or were you just wanting to drop Rachel off?" he asked.

"I don't know. You think you could handle it?" she asked.

He sighed. "You better," he said.

Cuddy started to walk out of the room, but House stopped her. "Is it me, or are you trying to play mommy with her?" he asked.

Cuddy stopped dead in her tracks and slowly turned back. "What are you saying?" she asked.

House just studied her for a minute. "Nothing," he mocked innocence.

Cuddy just slowly turned and finally left the room. She grabbed her coat and walked outside to see Gabrielle just sitting on the stairs. She gently approached her and then sat beside her. "Too much in there for you?" she asked.

Gabrielle turned to her and softly smiled. "Dad didn't want to be the one to come out here and talk to me huh?' she asked.

"I'm sorry," Cuddy said. She felt bad saying it, but she was right.

"Don't be, I'm actually kind of glad that he didn't. It isn't right that he should see me like this," she plainly stated.

"Gabrielle, he's your Father," Cuddy said. She had a hard time believing that Gabrielle was self conscious in front of House.

Gabrielle looked down and shook her head. "You don't understand. This just isn't right," Gabrielle then looked up and saw that Cuddy was confused. "Don't you wake up in the morning, and sometimes wished that you were a millionaire, even if you know that it's something that you shouldn't even waste your time on?"

"Well, sure, but I hardly see any," Cuddy stopped as soon as Gabrielle raised her hand.

"And as soon as you realize that you can't, don't you just go about your day and go on with your life?" Gabrielle asked.

"Yes," Cuddy said as she begun to see where this was leading.

"Well, my mother is dead. She's gone. There's nothing that I can do about it, and there never will be. It's just not rational, it's not right, to just cry over something that you can't have," Gabrielle explained.

Cuddy just looked down. What was there to even be said to that? "Do you want to go home?" Cuddy asked.

"I'll stay until it's over," Gabrielle said and then turned to face her. "Listen , not to sound mean or anything, but are you trying to play mommy with me?"

Cuddy looked with interest, "why?" she asked.

"I notice that you have been the one to mostly talk to me when something is wrong. Also, you don't have Rachel with you anymore, and the only person that you would have left her with in there would have been House, which means that you did talk to him, and you did decide that it would be better if you came after me," she looked turned and looked forward and shrugged. "I mean, I don't mind, just don't expect me to call you mommy."

"I'm sorry if I…" Cuddy started.

"Don't," she turned and looked at her again. "You obviously like kids, and you obviously want a family, so you latched onto what you could. I mean, we both enjoy having you and Rachel staying with us, even if my Daddy doesn't show it, but," Gabrielle sighed and her face slowly fell to a distinct look of disappointment. "How long do you really think any of that will last? I mean, in a couple days I'll go back to Toledo, and soon you'll be able to go back to your own house, and let's face it, even if he is my Father, with his background, who would let him adopt me?"

"How could they not let your Father have you? He makes good money, he doesn't live in a bad area, and the pills he takes, can sort of be justified," Cuddy said.

"Don't tell me that he has never been sued," Gabrielle said.

"It obviously didn't work if he still has his medical license," Cuddy said.

"That's true," Gabrielle said. "How many times has he gotten sued?" she asked.

Cuddy softly laughed. "If you go into my office, and press five on the phone, you'll get his lawyer," she said.

"So, you're saying that I am over thinking the worst?" Gabrielle asked.

"I don't know. What would be the worst possible thing?" Cuddy asked.

Gabrielle sat there and thought for a moment. "Well," she started and then pushed back her hair revealing the bruise on her jaw. "It can't be going to stay with Eloise, and my mom's already dead. I guess the worst would be finding out that House isn't my Father and not being able to stay with him."

Cuddy laughed. "Trust me, you two are related," she said.

"I can tell that. But hey, you asked so I answered," Gabrielle said. She just sat there and stared. She was getting cold, but she didn't want to go back inside. All there was in there were people that she didn't want to talk to and memories that she had no desire to relive. The entire time she had been in there she had pasted a fake smile on her face and greeted every one that happened to walk in.

"Would you like to be alone now?" Cuddy asked. She had seen the look on her face and thought she may not want to be bothered.

"Depends, do you want to leave me alone?" It was the only thing that she could think to say at the moment.

"Well, I don't want to leave you out in the cold, literally, but I do think that maybe you should come back inside. At least in there no one will be worried about where you are. You can hide out in that lounge room around the corner in there with your Dad," Cuddy said.

"Okay, I'll do that," Gabrielle said. Gabrielle stood up and looked down at Cuddy. "You coming?" she asked.

Cuddy looked up and smiled. "Yeah," she said then stood up.

They both walked in together and then headed back to the room where House was with Rachel. They both froze and looked over. House was sitting in the chair looking over papers as Rachel was in his lap with Eloise's purse. "What the hell are you doing?" Cuddy snapped as she hurried over.

House innocently looked up and then pointed down at Rachel. "Naughty girl, she stole a purse and then emptied it out," he said.

Gabrielle rolled her eyes and walked over. "You find anything?" she asked.

House sighed and handed her some papers. "You might want to see these," he said.

Gabrielle took them. Her eyes widened in shock. "That witch," she hissed under her breathe.


	23. Don't Fear Eloise

Chapter 23: Don't Fear Eloise

Gabrielle blankly stared down at the papers, and then quickly grabbed the purse and shoved them back in there. "Szuka," she mumbled under her breathe and then stormed out of the room.

"What was that?" Cuddy asked. Both her and House just stayed in the room.

House just stared and shrugged. "I don't know, but Maria would do that to when ever she got mad."

Gabrielle stood across the room from Eloise. She watched her as her Aunt just sat there and stared like nothing was wrong. Her fist clenched at her sides, her eyes narrow. She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs, she wanted to storm over there. Gabrielle was about to, but, she saw the casket. That was when her hands slowly unclenched, and her expression softened. "Not here, not now," she said to herself. She just turned around and headed back to where Cuddy and House were.

"I take it you didn't get too far with your aunt out there," House said.

"Amaz szuka!" she hissed under her breath. Gabrielle was pacing back and forth. "Amaz tolvaj! Teba luhar!" she continued. The young girl stopped and sighed in disappointment. She turned and looked to see them both watching her. "I'm not going to do anything til my mom is buried and this is over with."

"What was on those papers?" Cuddy asked. She had been the only one who hadn't seen them yet.

Gabrielle slowly looked up at her. "It's not important," she calmly stated.

There was a silence that overtook the place as every one just stared. The only eventual noise came from Rachel as she grabbed Eloise's keys from her purse and started playing with them. "What time is it?" Gabrielle asked.

"Ten til seven," House said as he glanced down at his watch.

Gabrielle just stared. "Ten minutes, I can do that," she said to herself and then sat down in the chair next to House.

Only a few seconds later, Eloise walked into the room and paused as soon as she saw Rachel going through her purse "What is the meaning of this?" she snapped. She glared at House as she placed her hands on her hips.

"What? The kids takes advantage of a cripple by running off and you blame me?" he asked. House then looked over at Gabrielle. "I bet you it's cause I'm a man, I mean the girl steals a purse and I'm blamed for it. That's just sexist."

"What do you suggest? I blame the baby for being stuck with a complete ignoramus?" Eloise asked.

"Why not blame the Jew over there? That always works for me," House said and then playfully looked over at Cuddy.

Cuddy just crossed her arms. "Honestly House," she hissed. She knew that this not the time nor the place to be doing what he was. Right now she was just hoping that he would give her the bag so she could leave, but of course, when would House do something like that?

Eloise just rolled her eyes and sighed. House then mocked her by rolling his eyes and letting out and exaggerated sigh. "Just give me that!" Eloise snapped as she pulled the purse and keys out of Rachel's hands causing her to cry. Gabrielle could tell that Cuddy didn't like that at all, especially since she glared at Eloise the rest of the time.

"Come here, it's okay," Gabrielle said as she took Rachel.

House looked over at Cuddy and then back over at Eloise. "Don't worry, she'll be fine as soon as the wicked witch from the west gets her fat ass on her broom and flies away." He then looked over at Cuddy. "No offense, your ass is still on the top of my list of important thoughts."

Cuddy just rolled her eyes. She would have said something back, but right now was not the time.

Eloise then turned to Gabrielle. "And you! Keep your grimy hands off my stuff," she warned.

"Nem csinaltam semmi rosszat," Gabrielle stated without emotion. Her eyes were cold as she stared. Eloise simply shook her head and left.

Gabrielle just waited until she left and then stared down at Rachel and slightly smiled. "You like that?" she asked upon seeing her play with her necklace.

That night, Gabrielle sat in the living room with House and Cuddy, who had just gotten Rachel to sleep. "How are you doing?" Cuddy asked as she looked over.

Gabrielle softly smiled as she recognized her concern. "I'm okay," Gabrielle answered.

"God, I would hate to see you depressed then," House said.

Gabrielle just looked over. "And I would hate to see you on a bad day," she retorted. "Anyways, I'm not depressed."

"You're afraid of everything not working out," Cuddy gave an attempt at what the two before her were so good at.

Gabrielle just looked over. She softly grinned. "Don't get your hopes up, fear is easy to sense," Gabrielle said. She looked down and sighed. "You're afraid of something going wrong with your pregnancy, you're afraid that even though Rachel's real mom is dead, that she will be more interested in her than in you. You're afraid that if nothing goes wrong with this baby, that some day they'll be fighting with Rachel for your attention and you don't want one accusing the other of getting more attention because of how they were taken into the family. You're afraid of Mike. You're afraid of how your family is going to react to your news. I know everything you're afraid of." Gabrielle looked up and smirked over at House. "I even know what you're afraid of."

House looked over and arched his eyebrows. He was truly eager to hear what she had to say about it. "What?" he casually asked.

"Being rejected," she clearly stated. That was what really sparked House's interest. "You're usually grouchy, and judgmental because you don't want to get close to anyone. You would rather be alone then try to get close and then be rejected. That was really why you took me in, I was your daughter and you could tell right then and there that I would never hate you. That I wouldn't just leave," Gabrielle explained.

"Very nice. COMPLETELY WRONG! But very nice," he said.

Gabrielle laughed. "Of course you would never admit to it," she said. She then looked over at Cuddy. "How about yours? Was I right?" she asked.

"Yeah," she said a little absent minded.

Gabrielle smiled at each of them. "Look, I don't want either of you two to worry about me right now. Okay? You both have done a lot more for me than you will ever know," Gabrielle said. "It wasn't like this was an unexpected death, I knew she was going to die. I mean, I even knew that when I saw her last. I actually walked into that room and knew that it was going to be my last time seeing her. I didn't want to face up to it then, but I knew. I had a lot longer to say good bye to her then most people do when they're losing some one, please, what ever you do, don't feel sorry for me."

The room was silent for a moment. Gabrielle then leaned over and hugged Cuddy. "Good night," she said. Gabrielle then got up and walked over to House and hugged him and then kissed him on the cheek. She didn't care how awkward it made him feel, she did it any ways. "I'm going to bed now." With that, she made her way to her room.

**Amaz (Hungarian) - that  
Szuka (Hungarian) - bitch  
Tolvaj (Hungarian) - thief  
Teba (Slovak) - that  
Luhar (Slovak) - liar  
Nem csinaltam semmi rosszat (Hungarian) - I have not done anything**

**I did my best on the translation from what I can remember. I used to know phrases from both languages and thought that I would gove it a shot. If anyone knows either language and spots an error, feel free to correct me. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and please review! :)**


	24. Goodbye Maria

Chapter 24: Goodbye Maria

Gabrielle awoke in the middle of the night. She had been waking and going to sleep since about eleven when she originally tried to go to sleep. She groggily turned over, and grabbed her cell phone to check the time. She groaned when she noticed that it was only three in the morning. "You've got to be kidding me," she mumbled as she sat up. The room was completely quiet, and it was starting to bother her. That was when she decided to go get something to drink. She wasn't thirsty, but at least it would pass the time.

Gabrielle walked out and stopped in the doorway of the living room. She saw Cuddy sitting on the couch staring into Rachel's bassinette. There was a glazed look in her eyes as she had one handholding onto the side of the bassinette and the other on her abdomen. "Something wrong?" she gently asked to try not to startle her or wake Rachel.

Cuddy jumped and looked over. She had been so deep in her thoughts that she hadn't even noticed the young girl standing in the doorway. "Yeah, I'm fine," she answered as she slowly turned to her. There was a hesitance in her voice.

"No you're not," Gabrielle said as she walked over. She walked closer to Cuddy and leaned on the back of the couch. "I struck a nerve, and I didn't mean to stir all of that up, I wasn't thinking and I'm sorry," she said.

"It's nothing that hasn't been in the back of my head," Cuddy said and then looked directly into Gabrielle's eyes.

Gabrielle sighed and slightly chuckled. "I observe, I don't mind read," she stated. "There's a big difference, trust me."

"Either way, you're good at it," Cuddy remarked.

"You and Daddy coming to the little, I guess you can call it, a party tomorrow after the funeral? My Uncle Richard rented out a hall," Gabrielle said.

Cuddy shook her head. "I have to go back to my office and check up on things. House will probably go though. He knows if he comes back he's just going to have to work in the clinic."

"So there's no way that he'll go back to work at all tomorrow," Gabrielle said.

"Right, he's all yours," Cuddy said.

Gabrielle smirked. "You can have him too. I'm a sharing person," she said. "I know you want him," she smugly stated.

Cuddy sighed. "Go back to bed," she stated as she smiled back at her.

Gabrielle softly laughed. "Alright, good night," she said and then made her way back to her bedroom. She walked back into the empty room and looked around. There was nothing that she could do now, but take another attempt at sleeping. She slowly walked over to the couch and lay down.

The next morning she awoke to the sun shining in through the window. This was the day that she had dreaded awakening to. The day that made everything final. Her mother was going to be buried, and that was it. She pulled herself out of bed, showered and got back into her dress clothes. Of course, this was all way before she had to. The funeral was at ten, and it was only about eight after she was done getting ready.

She simply sat in her room and waited. It was about eight thirty when House walked into her room. "Good, you're already up," he said.

Gabrielle looked up at him in the doorway. "Aw, you wanted to make sure that I was ready," she said.

"Yeah, with you we can get in line and don't have to stop for traffic. Who wouldn't jump at that opportunity?" House asked.

Gabrielle smiled at him. "Thank you Daddy," she said.

House sighed and turned around. "You say that before we even get there," he said as he left. House walked down the short hall in into the living room where Cuddy was trying to get Rachel ready.

"Don't you think that you should be getting ready?" Cuddy asked as she tried to get Rachel's foot into her little dress shoes.

"Do you think that it's really necessary to dress up a baby that's only two months old?" he asked. He started towards the kitchen. "Trust me; it's not good to use your children to flaunt your money. Look at the Partridge family."

Cuddy shook her head as she softly laughed. "What does dressing my daughter up have to do with the Partridge Family?" she asked.

"They used their kids to help make money with their band and now their screwed up on drugs," House said.

"And Rachel's going to shoot heroine because I dressed her up for a funeral?" Cuddy asked. Cuddy rechecked Rachel's outfit before smiling down at her. She stood up after telling Rachel she would be back in a few minutes and walked over to House who was now in the kitchen. "We need to talk," she said.

"Shoot," House said as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

"Be gentle today. I know how hard it is for you to act human, but just try, at least until tonight," Cuddy said.

"Please, that's not what she wants," he said and then turned to her. "People usually adjust their mood to fit the others in the room. I don't think me acting phony for a few hours is going to change anything, especially since every one else is going to be crying their eyes out like there's no tomorrow."

"You know what I mean," Cuddy said.

They stood there in the kitchen for a minute in silence. "When does she go back to Toledo?" Cuddy asked.

"Tomorrow. We have to have her at the airport by four I think," House said. "Why? You thinking of following her back and stalking her?" House asked.

"No, I was just wondering," Cuddy said. "Just make sure to be ready by nine thirty," she said as she left the kitchen. Cuddy then walked through the living room and over to Gabrielle's room and knocked on the closed wooden door softly.

"Come in," Gabrielle said.

Cuddy walked in and stopped. "What are you doing?" she asked as she saw Gabrielle sitting on the floor in front of the laptop.

"Watching Mary Tyler Moore. Wanna join?" she asked with out looking up from the screen.

Cuddy just walked over and sat on the couch. "I didn't see you as some one that would watch that show. It's happy," Cuddy said.

"Happy is good when it's different," Gabrielle stated. They both just stared at the screen. "I think I'm most like Rhoda." Gabrielle stated. "So I'm gonna go out get a couple friends like Mary and Phyllis, and maybe one like Lou just for the heck of it."

"Don't you think this all seems a bit odd that you would be doing this the morning of a funeral?" Cuddy asked.

"Wouldn't you do the same?" Gabrielle asked.

"I'm gonna leave you to watch your show while I go get ready," Cuddy said.

"Isn't there a reason why you stopped in?" Gabrielle asked as Cuddy stood up.

"Just wanted to see how you were doing," she said kindly and then left.

Gabrielle just sat there in the room and sighed as she looked down. The only way for her to get through this day was to act as if she didn't feel, and that was what she was trying to do. If there was anything to cheer her up, she was going to let herself be happy, but other then that, she wanted to go numb.

The rest of the morning went pretty much like that. Once they were ready, they all headed to the funeral home and sat through a small little service, and then got everything ready and headed to the church. Gabrielle held up through that, and even laughed a few times on the way to the church. She was starting to think that this wasn't going to be that bad.

Everyone got to the church and stood in the parking lot as the pallbearers went and got the casket from the hearse. Gabrielle stood there with Cuddy and House as she just watched the coffin being carried to the front of the group. Although there was a good-sized crowd, it was almost silent.

It seemed like forever before everyone finally started walking. They went until every one was in the church and the doors closed behind them. The priest and deacon stood before the coffin. Gabrielle could only stare with a loss of emotion. She was in the front of the group and watched as the holy water was sprinkled over the dark cherry (or white, black, whatever color) coffin. The white sheet was taken out and laid down on top. That was when it hit Gabrielle. She was really gone. She noticed that this was about the time that every one else in the room started crying, but that didn't matter. All that mattered was that she couldn't stop herself any more, and the tears ran down her face. It took everything in her to stop herself from turning around and running out of there.

The group continued down the isle and to their seats. Once they sat down, Gabrielle looked over at House to see what he was doing, nothing, no tears, no water, just staring. Without really knowing why, she leaned over on him. House just raised his eyebrows as he looked down at her and then put his arm around her. He continued staring with that same look of boredom, but no one seemed to care about it.

Gabrielle and House sat like that until it was time for her to go up and read the eulogy. She made her way up there and looked around at her family. She was nervous as she began to speak, but she ignored it. "Maria Zbin," she said and then sighed. "I really didn't know what to say, so I'm very unprepared today. All I could do was think of random memories. They all meant something to me, I just didn't know how to put it down on paper." She took another chance to look around. "But, I can tell you that she was my mother, and I'm glad that she was. I don't think there are many people out there that can handle me, let alone live with me. She loved to laugh, and liked it when others around her would laugh." Gabrielle looked down and closed her eyes for a moment. "Look, we know this isn't going much anywhere. We came here to say good bye to Maria Zbin. She's leaving behind a daughter, a mother, a father, brothers and sisters and aunts and uncles and cousins. She's leaving behind a lot of people. I loved her, she was my mom, and that's all that was important to me. I wish there was something I could do, but there isn't. She's gone, and I hate that." With that, Gabrielle walked back and sat down. There were tears in her eyes, but it was over with.

Gabrielle sat back and let out a sigh of relief. Cuddy looked over. She hated seeing Gabrielle like this. It was hard to believe that this was same perky, sarcastic girl that had shown up at her office and accused her of liking her father. Cuddy gently laid her hand on Gabrielle's shoulder. Gabrielle just looked over and nodded as if thanking her.

**Okay, I should have done this earlier, or for each of the chapters, but I owe a few thank yous to Cora, Nikki, and Simone. They have each helped me with this story, and helped to improve it. Thank you very much!**


	25. A Night at the Hospital

Chapter 25: A Night at The Hospital

Gabrielle sat in her room and stared out the window. She could hear Rachel crying out in the living room, and her father asking Cuddy to get the kid to stop so he could go to bed. There was something wrong, and she could sense it, but right now she couldn't trust her own senses. Everything that she had felt today was completely unlike her, and she hated herself for it. In the back of her head, she also knew that all of her complaints about herself were all distractions from what she had seen earlier.

Gabrielle stood up and looked through her bag to make sure that everything was packed. The only things still out were her laptop, which was charging, and her clothes for tomorrow. "Well, there it is," she said to herself. She felt as if she were in the ending of a movie. In a way, it sort of was and ending, she would go back to Toledo and finish up with her school year, and then start over, most likely in New Jersey with her Father. She had known that all along, but now it all seemed so final.

There was a knock at the door which brought Gabrielle back to reality. "It's open," she called out.

House pushed the door open with his cane and stepped into the room. "Kids got a high fever, we're leaving now," House announced and then left the room. Gabrielle just quickly got up and followed.

House and Gabrielle sat out in the waiting room of the ER while Cuddy was with Rachel. Gabrielle sat there the entire time trying to see how House felt about Rachel getting sick. It was hard to believe, but he was t he hardest one for her to read. But, just because it was hard didn't mean that it was impossible. "So, how long do you figure we're gonna be here for?" she asked trying her best to sound completely bored.

House didn't even look down at her, but he could tell what she was trying to do. He knew that she was truly worried. "I don't know. All depends on what's wrong," he answered without emotion. He figured if he gave her a short, blunt answer without any emotion, that it should confuse her. Quite honestly, he wanted to see how good she was, how far she would go to read some one.

Gabrielle sat back and sighed. "Well, you're the diagnostic," she said and then looked over at him. "Tell me, what do you think is wrong?"

House arched his eyebrow and looked down at her and then went into deep thought. "High fever, restlessness, when I picked her up there was cold sweat but that is also just a sign of a fever. Of course the last couple of days she has been going from cold to warm within seconds which would weaken her immune system. What it could also do is mess with her sinuses." He then focused his attention back on Gabrielle. "I'm going to say either the flu, a cold, or a sinus infection."

"Isn't that a bit vague for you?" Gabrielle asked.

"What do I have to work off of? Until you give me some kind of list of how her vitals or even a temp, I can't do anything," House said. "Seems like some one wanted to overate her daddy."

"Would you have rather me underrate you?" she asked. She knew she was going to get some where if she kept up the questioning.

"Nah, then I would have surprised you," he said in his usual sarcastic tone, which made Gabrielle roll her eyes.

Cuddy softly and slowly walked thru the door and entered the waiting room. House and Gabrielle both looked up and carefully watched her. Cuddy walked over and sat down beside House. It was easy to tell how nervous she was, but no one knew exactly why. It was starting to make Gabrielle wonder what was really wrong with Rachel. Cuddy could feel the curious eyes on her. "Strep throat. All they can do is give her the penicillin and watch her fever. It's at a hundred and four right now. She's asleep," Cuddy plainly stated everything as she stared with a glazed look.

"Babies often have high fevers, their body temperatures are higher then ours." House looked over only to see that there hadn't been any change in her expression. "Strep throat is easily cured."

Cuddy slowly turned and looked over at him. There was a questionable look in her eyes. Her maternal feelings were starting to kick in and caused a guilt trip. Her eyes were glazed over and distant.

"You'd never catch me with a strep patient," House stated.

Gabrielle looked over at Cuddy and then back at House. "And you would give me strep throat to teach another lesson wouldn't you?" she asked trying to help prove his point.

House looked down at her and arched his eyebrows. "You're allergic to mold," he stated. "Giving you penicillin would only make you worse off."

Gabrielle crossed her arms. "The only reaction I get to penicillin are hives that last a few hours. My doctor said it was okay to give it to me," Gabrielle explained.

"Now there's something I can use," House said and then went into deep thought.

"Sure, worry about giving me penicillin, but it's okay to set off an asthma attack and induce allergic reactions, which is basically what giving me penicillin would do," Gabrielle said.

Cuddy closed her eyes and put up her hands. "Please," she said getting their attention. "I don't mind if you fight, but do it somewhere else." She seemed to have snapped out of her trance like state from before, but still had a distant look to her eye. Cuddy looked over and saw the two watching her. "What? You two working together to figure out what's wrong with me? Decided that maybe if you team up you could read my personal thoughts?" Cuddy just shook her head and left to the opposite side of the room.

Gabrielle looked down and sighed. She then looked up and saw House staring after Cuddy, but not with his usual horny, I want her look. Instead, he looked to her with a guilt. "Aw, you're worried," Gabrielle said putting her hand on his shoulder. "That's cute," she said.

House looked down on her strangely. "What? You hitting on me?" he jokingly asked.

Gabrielle smirked. "What is it sticky hands? Afraid to let some one other than fictitious girls on the computer to allow you some pleasure in your life?" she asked.

"And I'm the perverted one," House scoffed.

"I wouldn't be so perverted if I wasn't given the situations that you seem to encounter all too often," Gabrielle stated and then innocently looked up at House. "Look," she said and then looked over towards where Cuddy was. "Why don't you go over there and be Cat Stevens to Sad Lisa over there and just talk to her. It won't kill you to show her that you care a little."

"Wouldn't it seem a little played out coming from me?" House asked trying to prolong his awkward approach.

"Maybe, but either way it'll show her that you cared enough to put some effort into it," Gabrielle answered and then gave him a reassuring smile. "Just do it."

House stood up and then looked down at her. "Since when do I listen to you?" he asked.

"Since you know that I am right," she smugly answered.

"If that's what you think," he said.

"It's not what I think, it's what I know," she stated.

"Sure, your huge life experience with this subject is soo helpful for all of us here," he childishly remarked.

Gabrielle started to laugh and sat forward. "Stop acting like such a coward and get you butt over there," she said.

House just turned and walked over to Cuddy and stood there behind her for a minute. He did care. He wanted to tell her that, to get her to believe that, but who would? If the positions were switched, he would have a hard time believing it. He kept trying to tell her what he wanted to say, but Gabrielle's words kept ringing in his ears. That he was a coward, and in many ways he was. She had been right about when she had stated that he was afraid of being rejected.

Cuddy stood there as she blankly stared. Her arms were crossed as she leaned to the side against the wall. She could feel his presence, but wanted to give him a minute before she acknowledged him. Right now the last thing that she wanted to do was to argue with him. "What is it House?" she asked without looking back at him.

"She's going to be fine. You're over reacting," he said. There was nothing much else that he could say, but did start to regret telling her that she was over reacting. He knew that she was going to get mad at that. "Kids get sick, it's known fact. You're never going to completely protect them from the little germs and parasites that are everywhere."

Cuddy lifted her head up and slowly looked back over her shoulder. "You telling me that I shouldn't be worried about my daughter?" she asked. Her voice was stern and stung House.

"I just don't want you to panic, that's all," he said and then turned around to leave.

Cuddy stood up and turned around. "Wait," she said as she dropped her arms to her sides.

House stopped in his tracks and then turned back to her. "Yes?" he asked.

"Why do you care?" Cuddy asked. She shook her head as her eyes started to water with the unshed tears that she had been trying to fight. "Why are you even here?" Cuddy looked down and walked over to House. She stopped before him and looked up into his eyes, as if trying to figure out what he was thinking about. "You don't care about Rachel, I know you don't. You could have just dropped me off. Instead, you chose to stay. Why?" she asked.

House stared down into her eyes. He didn't know what to say. One wrong statement could ruin everything, and he now felt as if this were his last chance, like fro some reason that what happened now could either make them or break them as a couple. "Gabrielle wanted to stay," he answered without anything better to say at the moment.

Cuddy backed up a bit, but still kept her eye contact. "I know that she would want to stay, but you could have just dropped her off to." Cuddy sighed and looked straight forward. "I don't want to hear why Gabrielle is here though, I want to hear about why you're here," she said.

"Look, why does it matter so much to you? I'm here aren't I? Isn't that what you wanted? God you boss types are hard to please," he said.

"I just want to know, do you care about Rachel? I mean, I look over and I see you and Gabrielle together. You two are like perfect matches for each other. Your exchanges of insults are like a normal person's exchange of hugs and kisses. Trust me, she is the only one who can tolerate everything you do. But you two get along great, and when I see you two, I hope that I can get along with Rachel that well. But then, I also would hope that you would give Rachel a chance," Cuddy said. She shook her head and started to walk away. Her back was turned to him as she stopped and looked up. She gathered her thoughts and then turned around. "House, I'm going to have your baby. Will you pay attention to him or her? If you do, don't you think that Rachel will feel left out?" she put her hands on her hips and let out a small laugh. "I don't think you know what you're getting yourself into. I don't think you understand any of this."

House narrowed his eyes on her. "If I'm such a horrible person, why did you me? Why are you having my child? Why would you leave Rachel with me?" he asked. It was now obvious that she had struck a nerve some where.

Cuddy just stared. "Oddly enough I trust you, and I left you and Rachel to see how you would be as a father. I know you care, I just wish that you would show it every once in a while." Cuddy shook her head and then started to walk away. She knew he had his little ways of showing every once in a while, like he had today, but she had a point to get across to him.

"I'm still here aren't I?" he asked and then turned around and went back over to Gabrielle.

Cuddy just stopped and slowly turned back to see him walking away.


	26. Easily Broken

Chapter 26: Easily Broken

House went and sat back down next to Gabrielle. "I heard," she said as he took his seat.

House looked over and sighed. "You need to stop doing that. It kinda annoys people," he said. He looked over and continued to watch Cuddy who was still on the other side of the room. She was sitting there and staring, but he could easily see that it wasn't him that she was staring at.

"I think you two got somewhere. Now you know what she needs from you and you know whether or not you are willing to give it to her," Gabrielle said. The teenager looked over and smiled at him. "I know you can give her everything she needs, you just need to open up to it."

"God, with you around, I could replace Wilson twice," House said. He just continued to stare in Cuddy's direction.

Gabrielle followed his stare over to Cuddy and sighed. "You know, after tomorrow, I won't be here to tell you what to do with her and when. You have to be able to do that on your own."

"I'm capable if I really wanted to," he stated.

Gabrielle shook her head and began to laugh. "No!" she said looking over at him. "No, you're both like little kids with each other, scared and stubborn. I had to secretly force you two together, and the sad thing is, you enjoyed it, but neither of you two will actually admit to it. For God's sake you're living with her. You are living with the woman who is going to be the mother of your child and you still have to wait for me to tell you when and how to talk to her." Gabrielle sighed and looked down. "I know you know how and when, I just think you need a little push."

House looked over. "What? You just meet me and now all the sudden you know what would be best for me?" he asked.

"No," she answered. "All I did was point out the obvious. You're the one who gave out the clues of what you needed and I merely helped."

"Right," House said. "And fate brought you here to bring us together," he sarcastically remarked.

"Actually, I don't believe in fate. When a percentage of marriages fail and when a person stays lonely their whole life. When children can die at a young age, there is no fate. I do believe in God, but I have an awful hard time believing that our lives are planned out for us. If it was we would all be happy and annoyingly perky while living out our perfect lives and living in the perfect home and living it out to the point where it got so boring that we would all snap and cause something to go wrong just for the entertainment value of it. We all have free will which means we can go either way with each choice and completely change our lives, that in no way indicates fate to me," Gabrielle said and then sighed as she looked over at House.

"I can agree with that," House stated and then arched his eyebrows, "I can also agree that it is nearly impossible for you to go unexplained."

"Coming from someone who thinks out loud," Gabrielle remarked. She sat there in the silence and looked around. That was when she grabbed a sharpie marker from her purse and handed it to her dad. "I know this is random, but could you please sign my cast?" she asked.

House looked over and took the marker and signed it for her. "Thank you Daddy," she said and then took the marker back and headed over to Cuddy. She knew that this was the last thing that she would want to do right now, but she had something to accomplish. She walked up behind her and stood there with the marker in her hand. "Cuddy?" she gently asked.

Cuddy turned around and saw her standing there. "Hey," she coarsely greeted.

"I know this is a bad time, but could you please sign my cast? I wanted to ask you before I left," Gabrielle said as she held up the marker.

"Sure," Cuddy said. She grabbed the marker and then gently held onto Gabrielle's arm. She signed and then looked up at House's. "Good luck, love Daddy," she read out loud.

Gabrielle softly grinned as she saw the interest spark in Cuddy's eyes. "Yeah, he admits he's my father. Either he had a great time and is proud of what he could do, or he feels guilty about it," Gabrielle said.

Cuddy just stood there and stared at it for a moment. "Right," she said and then sighed.

"Just remember, he could leave at anytime if he wanted to," Gabrielle said and then thanked her for signing and left.

Cuddy just stood there. There was no way that she could even begin to describe to herself how she felt. On one hand, he was House. He rarely showed interest in Rachel, he was an ass, and he did what he wanted regardless. One the other hand, he had shown he could take responsibility, and, he was still there. He had had his moments with Rachel, but not as much as she would have liked.

"Lisa Cuddy?" the doctor asked as he walked out.

Cuddy turned and faced him. "How is she?" she asked.

House and Gabrielle walked over at the same time that the doctor made his way to her. "She's is going to be just fine. We brought her temp down a couple degrees. Now all you have to do is give her her antibiotics," he said.

"Thank you," she said. Her voice was still borderline nervous.

Gabrielle stood there and watched her. It was like watching the after ruins of an ancient city, you had an idea of what broke it down. She then looked back and saw confusion on her father's eyes as he tried to figure out what was going on with her. "Cuddy?" she finally spoke up. "Are you okay over there?"

Cuddy looked over and blankly stared. "I'll be fine," she said. There was a weakness to her voice that told both Gabrielle and House that she was lying.

"Come here, we need to talk," Gabrielle gently said. She wanted to say something before House did so that things wouldn't be made worse at the moment.

"No," Cuddy said as she looked up and wiped her eyes. "Not here. At least wait until we get back." Cuddy just walked over towards the doors to go get Rachel.

House and Gabrielle stood there and exchanged looks. "She's guilt ridden, stressed and tired. You really want to spend your last night talking to her?" House asked.

Gabrielle just watched as he pulled the orange container out of his pocket and poured two vicodin into his hand. "She worries about you with the pills doesn't she?" she asked.

House popped the pills into his mouth and dry swallowed. He questionably looked down at Gabrielle and studied her expression for a second. "What's your point? You trying to get to where I do something considerate for her and then get us back together before you leave?" he asked.

"I just noticed that you have only been taking those when she's not in the room. And I know that you're not afraid of her and that she won't get you in trouble for it. We both know that she knows about it, so the only other option is that you're trying to not worry her," she explained. She went into a deep thought and looked back towards the door. The more she thought about it, the more that she could see that these two actually do care for one another.

"I don't have to look out for other's feelings and I won't," he said.

Gabrielle just rolled her eyes. She could see Cuddy walking towards them with Rachel and didn't want to be arguing with him when they got there.

Everyone silently walked into the apartment. It had been a long day and Gabrielle had to leave the next day, so no one was much in the mood for anything. Even if they were all tired, House and Gabrielle wanted to know what was going on with Cuddy, so they walked in and sat down on the couch. They simply sat back and watched as Cuddy put Rachel to bed and then stood there and watched them.

"What? We can't sit here?" House asked.

"I think she's waiting for us to ask her already. Either that or she wants the couch to herself," Gabrielle said.

"So we can share a bed but not a couch? Why don't we move this into the bedroom then shall we?" House said.

"Enough," Cuddy stated with her hands on her hips. She sighed and brought her hand up to her forehead. "I know where this is going to end up, and I'm pretty sure that you both can figure out what's going on without having to bother me," she said.

Gabrielle and House exchange looks and then both looked back at Cuddy. "You're tired, you're stressed," she started.

"You're hormones are completely out of whack from being mommy and you're feeling guilty because your kid got sick," House said.

"Tonight scared you because you realized that you would have to go through this with two babies that are only a few months apart," Gabrielle said.

"You hate your choices because it's either stay with me or go out and find a man that wouldn't mind a woman with two little kids and is willing to play daddy to them," House said.

Tears started to form in Cuddy's eyes. "You wanting to prove to me that even my feelings and thoughts aren't private? You two trying to work together to break me down, see how vulnerable I can get?" she asked and then left.

Gabrielle stood up and followed her. She stopped at the bathroom door and stood there and leaned against it. "Come on Cuddy, you know that's not it," she said.

Cuddy stood on the other side of the door and stared down at the door knob. "Then why?" she asked.

Gabrielle sighed and then looked over to see House walking over and watched him until he came over and leaned on the wall opposite of the door. "Well," Gabrielle started. "It's sorta like you asking about how I was during the funeral."

There was a silence. "Gabi, I can't do this to you on your last night. Just go to bed and tomorrow I'll try and have a good time with you and then your father and I can take you to the airport and give our farewells," Cuddy said.

Gabrielle rolled her eyes. "Fine, but first answer this," she turned and glanced back at House and then focused back on Cuddy. "Are you afraid?" she asked.

Cuddy stood up and stepped back from the door and looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes red and puffy, her cheeks flushed and tear stained, yes. Yes she was scared.

"You sat there thinking about everything could go wrong didn't you?" Gabrielle asked. She turned around and leaned against the door. "And I know going to a funeral doesn't help anything.

Cuddy leaned her back against the door. "I guess it's all just a bunch of little things that built up over time," she said as she slowly slid down and sat with her knees up to her chest.

Gabrielle slid down and crossed her legs. "Things are never going to be perfect," she said.

"I know that," Cuddy responded.

"And there is no use in worrying about events that haven't occurred," Gabrielle said.

"Gabi, I've got a little baby that's barely a couple months old who is already getting sick and another baby on the way. I'm not even sure if House cares at all," she said.

Gabrielle looked up and saw House purse his lips. "I was at the hospital!" he spoke up.

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "I know that, but what about the rest of the time?" she asked. Looked down at the tile and just stared as she waited for her answer.

"Cuddy, you've only been living here for a few days. What did you want? An instant bond?" he asked.

"It wasn't even like that when I showed up," Gabrielle said. She was lying, but only to help out. She was just hoping that Cuddy couldn't tell the difference.

Cuddy closed her eyes. She knew that wasn't true, but she was going to give him another chance with Rachel. Thinking it through, Gabrielle was just like him, it would have been hard for them to not get along. Now she had to ask the question that she knew she had asked before, but she still had to ask again. "House?" she called out.

"Yes mommy?" he mockingly asked.

"Do you want to be a father?" she carefully asked. Either way, she was going to be able to handle the answer that she received. She knew House and wasn't going to force him into anything like that, but deeply wanted him apart of it.

House looked up and then looked over at Gabrielle. He did. He wanted Cuddy's baby. Even if he wasn't that close to Rachel, this was different. He wasn't about to tell Cuddy that, but it was for him. He was starting to convince himself that if he tried, he could start helping out a bit with Rachel. "Yes," he said.

Cuddy softly smiled. "Really?" she asked.

"Yes," he said. It was a huge adjustment, but he was willing to adjust.

"I'm sorry about tonight, I just," she stopped and looked up. "I don't know what happened."

"Hey, it's okay, stress messes with us. We still like you," Gabrielle said.

"Thanks," Cuddy said.

"Anytime," Gabrielle said and then stood up. "And now that all that's over and it's gonna get gushy I'll just head off to bed," she said and then went into her room.

Cuddy opened the door and stood there with her arms crossed as she lightly smiled at House. They both stood there for a minute in silence. "What? No remarks about how childish and irrational I acted?" she teased.

House just looked over at her. He didn't know why, but he couldn't think of anything to say. All he wanted to do was to kiss her, to hold her, anything but make one of his usual remarks. "No," he said barely above a whisper.

Cuddy tilted her head. "No? That's a first," she said. "Are you okay?" she asked him as he just stood there.

"I'll be the father if you're the mother," he said and then looked over at Rachel.

"This is your chance to back out if you're not willing to do that," Cuddy said.

"No," he simply stated.

Cuddy stepped closer to him. Her eyes locked on his looking for something other than what she had been hearing. But it wasn't there. House looked down and stared into her eyes. There was a silence that felt as if it were dragging out forever. "I think we're supposed to kiss now," she said.

"I wouldn't have expected that from you a few minutes ago," House said without losing eye contact.

"This isn't a few minutes ago," she said.

"Either way, we're well beyond kissing," he said.

"I know that, but that's all I want right now," she said. She lowered her eyes and looked straight forward. There was another silence as she moved closer to him and grabbed his shoulders. There was no way how she could explain to herself how she could change her mood so quickly, but it didn't really matter whether or not she could explain it.

House looked down to her and lifted her chin. He gently kissed her lips, her taste was the only one that could ever truly satisfy him, and he had realized that. His only hopes were that she felt the same way about him.

Cuddy backed away and gazed into his eyes. There were tears beginning to fall from hers as she softly nodded. She then wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his chest.

House just blankly stared ahead as he draped his arms around her waist. Everything had hit him at once and it was hard for him to think. All he knew was that this was his chance to have what he wanted, and that right now, it was so delicate that any wrong move could break it.


	27. Goodbye Gabrielle

Chapter 27: Goodbye Gabrielle

Gabrielle walked through the hallway of the hospital over to House's office. She could see his team sitting in there, but he wasn't there yet. She knew where he was, over with his patient. That was the only place that she would not follow him, was into a patient's room.

She walked into the room and sighed. "Hey everyone," she greeted his team as she walked in and sat down.

They all just watched her, familiar with her, but didn't know that much about her. "It's still hard for me to believe that House has a kid," Taub said.

Foreman looked over at Taub and raised his eyebrows. "You? I've worked for him longer than any of you have," Foreman explained.

Gabrielle wanted badly to look over and tell them about Cuddy, how House had her living with him and how he was the father of her baby. She loved shocking people, and that would have been the ultimate way to do it. But, she had her limits and she knew that it wasn't her place to gossip about it. Instead she just looked over and raised her eyebrow. "You find me interesting?" she asked.

Everyone stopped and watched for a second. Gabrielle got the hint that none of them knew how to answer that. "Afraid to answer huh? What? Do I scare you?" she asked.

"No," Kutner started.

"I should," she softly chuckled. "This is my last day here, the last chance for any of you to have me put in a good to him for you." Gabrielle leaned in and lowered her voice. "From what I heard yesterday when I went into Cuddy's office," she looked around, "he's looking to cut one of you from his team." Gabrielle sat back and folded her arms.

"No he's not, he would have told us," Foreman calmly stated.

"He would have to, wouldn't he?" Kutner asked.

"Since when does he do things by the book?" Gabrielle asked.

Gabrielle watched as they nervously exchanged looks. She then started laughing. "You guys are so easy," she said.

"You're definitely his daughter," Thirteen said.

"Well, I could still be messing with you, I mean, I might have warned you, but thought it would be better if he caught you off guard," she said. "You never know."

"Great," Taub sarcastically remarked.

Gabrielle smiled. "Since it is my last day, would you all mind signing my cast while we wait for my dad?" she happily asked. Gabrielle then passed the marker around to everyone. Once everyone signed, she took the marker back and looked over the names on her cast. "Lucky thirteen?" she asked as she looked up at Thirteen.

"Just a nickname," she answered as if it were nothing.

"Right," Gabrielle said as she smugly smiled.

House then walked in and stood before the group. "Okay, who forgot to mention that his left eye suddenly went blind?" he asked. He walked over to the whiteboard and wrote it down as a symptom. "I believe it was Taub who was last with him," he said as he twirled his cane around.

Gabrielle looked at Taub and sadly shook her head. "I'm so sorry," she mouthed out.

Taub watched her for a second and then nervously looked up at House. "It must have happened sometime last night when we weren't here," he said.

"Could have, but there's no way of proving that now is there," he then turned back to his whiteboard and looked over everything.

Gabrielle stood up and sympathetically looked over at Taub. "I guess I should get going now. Bye everyone and good luck," she said and then left the room.

Gabrielle made her way down to the first floor. On her way over to Wilson's office, she met up with Chase, the one that she had recognized as the doctor who told her that her mother was going to die. She approached him and offered the marker. "Hi, I'm Gabrielle, we talked before while my mother was still a patient here and I was wondering if you wanted to sign my cast," she stated.

Chase stared at her for a minute and then took the marker. "Sure," he said and then signed it. He nodded when Gabrielle thanked him and then just watched her walk away. It was one of the most random things that had happened to him in a long time.

Gabrielle then got to Wilson's office and walked in. She barely knew him, but thought that he was a good person. A little out there, but good enough. Besides, he was one of her father's only friends, how could she not leave without saying good bye. She walked over and sat down in the chair. It was only a few minutes later when Wilson walked in.

"Hello?" he greeted upon entering. He stopped at the door and watched her for a second and then sat down.

"You like the movie Vertigo huh?" she asked looking over at the poster.

"Yes," he answered still trying to figure out what was going on.

"Me too, but I thought that Rear View Window and Psycho were better. Psycho being the best," she casually stated.

"Is there something you wanted? Or did you just come in here?" he asked.

Gabrielle smiled at him. "It's my last day here and I was wondering if you could sign my cast," she said as she handed him the marker.

"Sure," he answered and then signed.

Gabrielle took the marker back from him and sat there for a second as she stared. "You know my dad real well, right?" she asked.

"Yeah?" he said looking to her with interest.

Gabrielle smirked and then leaned on his desk. "How obvious is it to you that he likes Cuddy?" she asked.

"What do you have in mind?" he asked as he put his papers aside. He was interested in what the girl had to say. He knew about Cuddy and House's feelings towards each other and thought that they needed a little push.

"Well," Gabrielle said and then sat back up. "I will be joining the three of you to Hawaii, and I figure I could accomplish something there."

"Well, don't get your hopes too high up there," Wilson remarked and then started to go back to his papers.

Gabrielle stood up. "Don't under estimate me." She walked over to the door and stopped with her hand on the door knob. She turned back and smugly smirked. "Besides, you're in for a huge surprise, Uncle Jimmy," she said.

Wilson's head perked up. "What?" he asked with his eyes widened.

"Bye bye," she said as she waved to him.

Wilson just sat there and watched her leave. "Hmm," he hummed. Now he couldn't get back to his work.

Gabrielle just walked down the hall and over to Cuddy's office. On the way there, she ran into Cameron who signed her cast. It was weird how every signature was important to her, now that she was leaving. She quietly opened the door to Cuddy's office and walked in. "Hiya," she softly greeted.

"I know your father certainly didn't, but didn't your mother ever teach you to knock before you enter a room?" Cuddy asked.

"Aw, fine, I'll leave," Gabrielle said.

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "What is it?" she asked as she smiled.

"Well," Gabrielle said as she turned and faced Cuddy. "I have my luggage in the car, and my plane leaves in a couple hours. I thought that I might say goodbye."

Cuddy smiled. "You were only here for a few days, actually, a couple weeks, but you accomplished a lot," Cuddy said.

"I know," Gabrielle happily answered.

"Thank you," Cuddy said. She stood up and walked around her desk.

Gabrielle walked over and hugged her. "Goodbye," she said and then stepped back. "And I'll see you in Hawaii."

"Bye Gabi. We'll probably meet up with you in Toledo," she said.

Gabrielle smiled back and then walked over to the door. When she got there she turned back. "Oh, and I owe you a thank you to," she said.

"Let's call it even," Cuddy said.

"Okay, see ya," she said and then left the room. She walked down the hall and looked around. She knew that she would be coming back, but it was still weird to think about. Most people, when they went back home, things went back to normal. For her, it was never going to return to the way that it had been. She was going to be staying with her friends and then coming back to New Jersey to start over.

About an hour past and it was time for her to leave. House went and told Cuddy that he was leaving and then met Gabrielle and they got into the car and left for the airport. Most of the ride there was silent. It was hard for Gabrielle to think of anything to say. She was about to say goodbye to her father, but at the same time, she was going to be back there.

She stared out the window. "Thank you for letting me stay with you, I really enjoyed getting to meet my father," Gabrielle turned to him and smiled. "Even if he can be an ass."

"Same," he said. He then sighed and looked over to her. "Hey Gabi?"

"Yeah?" she asked.

"Don't worry about Eloise. I'll take care of everything. She won't get a hold of your money or get custody of you," he said.

Gabrielle smiled. That was the best thing that she had heard in a while. "Thank you," she said.

House pulled into the parking lot of the airport and stopped. He was about to get out, but Gabrielle stopped him. "Wait," she said. Gabrielle sighed and looked over towards the airport. "I hate long goodbyes, and I know that you have to get back to the hospital, so, I can take it from here. I've already got my ticket and I don't have that much luggage."

House sat back and looked at her for a second. "Can't wait to get rid of me huh? Oh well, don't blame ya. Have a good trip," he said.

Gabrielle leaned over and hugged him and then kissed him on the cheek. "Bye bye daddy," she said.

He watched as Gabrielle opened the door. "Are you sure you want to wait for your plane by yourself?" he asked.

Gabrielle turned back and nodded. "Yeah, I can do it," she said.

"Okay, see ya then," he said.

Gabrielle waved and then got her things and walked away from the car. House just sat there and watched her. It had only been a short amount of time, but he enjoyed having her there. He wasn't going to admit it to anyone soon, but he was going to miss her while she was gone. He sighed and then started the car and drove off back to the hospital.

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. This is my last chapter of the summer, school officially starts tomorrow morning. **

**It is going to be a while before I update, I am starting school and I will not be in town for the next couple of weekends for personal reasons. So try and be patient with me**

**I should also warn you, the next chapter is going to be M rated. I know some of you will be excited for that and others will skip the chapter. If you do choose to not read it I can just let you know any of the important stuff that happened. **


	28. We All Need Somebody

**Warning: This chapter is rated M**

**Okay, I am a fifteen year old virgin writing this, don't get mad if something is a bit off or if you think I could have done better. I mean, if I could have done better, let me know how, just don't get too mad about it. Anyways, I hope you enjoy it. **

Chapter 28: We All Need Somebody

Gabrielle stepped off of her plane and looked around. This was the first time that she was on her own. Sure, she would be staying with Marcy and her family, but, she knew her family. It was basically always just Marcy, her older sister Heather and their friends, Andy, Doug, Bucky, Amy, Veronica, and Marissa. Their parents were usually gone. This should have been great, but there was something that kept bothering Gabrielle. This wasn't home, and home was where she belonged. She had gotten herself caught up in other people's lives and she had started to care about them. She cared about the people here, but they didn't need her like her father did. She knew deep down that all her father needed was someone to care, not to just show that they cared or do a few kind acts, that was something that he could easily see through. He needed some one to talk to him on a level that he understood.

"Hey! Gabi! Over here!"

Gabrielle quickly turned to the familiar voice and saw Marcy, Amy, Andy, Veronica, Heather and Doug. "Hey!" she said and then ran over to them. Once there she dropped her luggage and threw her arms around the people standing before her. "I missed all of you," she said and then backed away. "Of course I did fine, maybe even better without you around, but what ever."

Heather softly laughed. "I know what you mean," she said and then looked over at Doug.

"What?" he asked and then gasped. "Come on." He held up his middle finger to her. Doug saw Heather start to do the same but stopped her. "Why would you do that? This isn't for you, it's for that bench over there. It's been pissing me off."

"I know what you mean! The way that it just sits there! And then, and then it lets others sit all over it!" Andy said.

"Well maybe you're a bench," Veronica turned around and remarked.

The little remarks continued in the background as Marcy laughed. "Nothing changed," she said.

"I see that," Gabrielle laughed. She had missed all their little fights and arguements. They were never quite mean, just playful in a offensive manner. It didn't matter, as long as they were all back together.

"Actually," Marcy started. "There was some one that missed you more then we all did."

"Yeah?" Gabrielle asked.

"Kyle, and he's back at my house. My parents won't be home til ten and we all thought that you two might want to be alone," Marcy said. There was something in her eyes that suggested that it wasn't her idea at all, that Kyle had suggested it.

"That wasn't your idea at all," Gabrielle said. She knew Marcy way better then that.

Marcy nodded. "Yeah, it was between Heather and Kyle, I was just the messenger. Honestly, I don't want to even think of you two alone in my house," her face twisted in disgust.

Gabrielle just sighed and then looked over and watched they others joke around with each other. "Yeah, and some how I don't see any good in it either."

That night, House sat at his piano as he played what ever melody came to mind. His glass of scotch right on he corner of the piano, it was perfect. Well, it was what would seem a perfect night. He even had Cuddy there with him, but there was something missing. Perhaps it was what he thought of as "the little twerp that would force him and party pants together".

House just sighed as he took his hands away from the piano. All he could do was just look at the keys. It was like he had just lost interest.

Cuddy stood in the doorway and watched him. She folded her arms across her chest and leaned against the door frame. She knew exactly what was going on in House's head right now. "I guess I know how Gabrielle feels," she remarked from the background.

House slightly jumped and looked over towards her. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

Cuddy tried to make out his facial expression, but there was so little light in the room that she could only make out an outline. "You miss her, admit it," she said, almost demanded as she walked over and stood beside his piano.

House just watched her and then went back to staring at the piano. He knew what she was going to do, and he wasn't even willing to listen to it. He did miss Gabrielle. The fact that he even got attached to some one like that confused him. This wasn't the same love that he had for a hot girl in a mini skirt, he actually cared for her. As a matter of fact, he would hate to see her in a mini skirt, he would rather had given her a real long skirt that doesn't show any of her figure off. What scared him even more was that she was right about him. That she was right about his feelings, especially the ones that he had towards Cuddy. "What's there to admit?" he asked. "She was better than the cadaver when it came to using something to teach a medical lesson."

"Don't give me that," Cuddy said and then placed her hands on her hips. "She showed you what you didn't have and gave it to you. She let you play daddy and she set you up on a date with me," Cuddy sighed and let her arms hang at her sides. "She tried to make you "less miserable" and it worked."

"Oh I'm sorry, I must have left my caring over in the pink flower basket that I use to spread joy around the hospital. You might have to go out and buy me a bouquet so I can keep on making others happy," he mocked.

Cuddy sighed and looked down. She knew what he was thinking, but she wanted, no, she needed to hear it. She needed to know that he could trust her and that she could trust him. She needed to know that he had the ability to care about others. She needed to know that he would be there. "You can't possibly feel that way," she said.

"Fine," House said without even paying any attention. "I said it just to pass the time until you leave the room and let me play the piano again," he said and then turned to her and looked up. He tried his hardest to fake innocence, but deep down, he knew that she was right.

Now Cuddy was beginning to get mad. He did this every time, like some little kid who did something bad. The worst part was that if he did something bad, he would open up about that quicker then he would about normal feelings. "Why House? Why?" she yelled. "Why must you do this every time I ask you about something?" Cuddy shook her head and closed her eyes. She tried her hardest to calm herself down before she said anything important. Cuddy opened her eyes and saw House sitting there facing her, his eyes focused on her with an odd sort of interest. "You tell me that you'll be there for your children and that you would like to help me raise your child." She sighed and dropped her arms to her sides. It was almost as if her body had went completely limp for the moment. Her eyes began to water, but she held back the tears that were caused by her frustration and betrayal. "Then you don't even trust me enough to admit that you

miss some one," he voice was raspy as she felt her temper rising. "You know what?" she asked. "I thought you were ready," she paused and looked him over, "but you were right. Some people just don't change." Cuddy turned and started to walk away.

"Fine!" House said raising his voice as he stood up. "I miss her," he said as he limped over to her as quickly as he could.

Cuddy stopped. Her eyes widened in complete shock. She slowly turned back to face him. It was not often that a moment like that would occur and she figured that she had better be attentive when it did happen.

"I miss her," he snidely stated. "A lot of good it does me," he sarcastically remarked. He stood there and awaited a reaction from Cuddy.

Cuddy just stood there in shock as she watched his blue eyes. They were fixed on her as she tried to gather

her thoughts. "You'll see her again," she stated.

"The future is always subject to change," he said. He finally broke his eye contact with her and looked down. He was suddenly feeling extremely uneasy about everything. He lifted his head and coldly stared back up at her. "Why does it matter to you?" he asked. He was truly curious as to why she had started asking. He knew how she felt about him being a father, but this had been a bit much.

"I just wanted to know," she answered all to casually.

"What?" he asked.

"Do you need me?" she asked.

House stood there and froze at the question.

Over in Toledo, Gabrielle walked into the house that she was going to be staying for the next few months. She lead the group in and looked around. "He's not here," she said with disappointment.

Marcy looked over and sighed. "Tonight. I just wanted to see how you would react," Marcy said.

Gabrielle rolled her eyes. "Gee, thanks a whole bunch," she remarked. She had gotten her hopes up. This was the boy that she hadn't seen in what was starting to feel like forever.

"Aw," Veronica said and then walked over. "Don't worry, he'll still be here tonight," she reassured.

"Yeah, while we're out getting wasted," Doug announced. The grin on his face was the same evil one that he got every time that he was planning something.

"Well, while we were waiting to come and get you, we picked up a few things for you for tonight," Amy said and then handed Gabrielle the bag.

Gabrielle stared at it fro a second. She knew Amy too well to trust her right away. "Oh God," she said as she dumped the contents out onto the table. There was a razor, shaving cream, scented lotion, a wax kit, and strawberry blonde hair dye. "How much wax did you think I needed for my eyebrows?" she asked.

"Actually," Amy started.

"She thought you should use it somewhere else," Heather said.

"I can't wax myself down there!" Gabrielle exclaimed.

"I'll do it," Andy smirked.

Gabrielle glared over at him. "You have a girlfriend," she stated. "Besides, if anyone's gonna help me it's gonna either be Veronica or Marcy," she said.

"And I'll dye your hair," Heather said.

"Okay, let's do this," Gabrielle stated. She really didn't want to go through with any of this. All she wanted to do was see Kyle again. She picked up the wax kit and hair dye and walked into the bathroom. Veronica and Marcy followed her.

House stood there as he watched Cuddy for a moment; she had just asked him whether he needed her or not.

It was such a risky question to ask at the moment. It could either ruin or create a mood. House internally cringed at the question, but acted calm anyways. The last thing he wanted to do was start pouring out his feelings. Then again, it was a simply little question, a yes or no answer, nothing that you had to explain or anything, just a simple one word answer. "Yes," he stated. There was an unquestionable sincerity in his voice. It had been the most honest he had been all night.

"I'll be fine as long as you return the favor," she said and then ran her hand down the side of his face. Cuddy then grabbed hold of his face and kissed him.

House returned the kiss. As they started making out, he slowly guided her over to the wall and backed her up against it. Cuddy kept her arms around him as she pulled back from his kiss. She dazed up into his eyes. She was about to say something, but then decided to pull his mouth back to hers.

Cuddy pulled away again long enough for House to remove her shirt. After her shirt was gone, she unbuttoned his shirt as quickly as she possibly could. House then finished removing his shirt himself and carelessly threw it onto the floor.

He pulled Cuddy's warm, soft body to his toned one and started rapidly kissing up and down her neck. He heard her let out a small moan of pleasure and then fiddled with her bra.

Cuddy spine tingled as his fingertips lightly touched her back. The small tickles only made her more anxious for him to get through her bra and to her body.

He was fumbling with her bra. He knew that he could get it off easily, but there was something different about this time. He was way more excited than he had ever been and was messing up. He was so excited to feel that contact between him and her, that he wasn't able to slow down and concentrate on what he needed to do and how to accomplish it. It was almost becoming annoying. The time came and he finally got her bra off and felt her breasts against him.

She waited until he got her bra off and lowered her head so that his lips would meet with hers. Cuddy took her hands and ran them through his hair as they both slowly slid down to the ground. She kept his leg in mind and knelt down over him, causing him to lean back. "I think something's wrong here," he said between kisses.

"What's that?" Cuddy asked as she unbuttoned his shirt. She looked up once she got to the last button. "You prefer the bed?" She then took her fingers and ran them from his chest down to his jeans. "Because, we both know that I like to be on top of things," she said. Cuddy started slowly unzipping his jeans. Inserting her hands inside of his waistband, she removed his pants and underwear and tossed them aside.

"That's nice in all," he started and then sat up and pushed her back, "but we all know that I can't handle authority." He grinned as he slipped his hands into her pants and took them off only to reveal her bright red, lacy underwear. "The point of the game is to get through all of the good stuff, right?" he asked as he slowly removed her the undergarment.

"Yes, I would say that's usually the purpose," she said.

House sat back and studied her with an evil smirk on his face. He then slowly leaned down and started feeling her breasts with his hands and worked his way up to kissing them. Each time his lips would press against her skin she would feel a tingling that made her giggle like a little school girl. She tried not to, but what happened was what was happening. It wasn't like she was about to stop him so that she could control herself.

House sat back up and readied himself to actually do it. He gently nudged her opening as a little teaser, and then he finally went in. Cuddy could feel him entering her body and it was her moment of ecstasy as she writhed in his arms. They both could hear each other moan and groan. Each thrust was followed by a louder moan and each one full of pleasure.

They both sat there panting as he pulled away. Neither of them had known how long they had gone at it, but they had definitely enjoyed it. "I can't believe I did that on the ground," Cuddy said and then rolled over to face the man next to her. "But I would certainly do it again." She sat up and knelt down over him. "My turn," she stated with her hand on his cheek. She was about to go down on him, but Rachel started crying. "Damn," they both cringed.

"Kid can't handle sharing mommy?" he asked.

"She can't handle when you got too loud," Cuddy said as she stood up and slipped her underwear back on and then pulled over her shirt. "I'll be back as soon as I can, just this time, meet me in the bedroom," she said and then left to go get Rachel who was only on the other side of the room.

Andy, Doug, Amy, and Marissa were all waiting out in the living room as the others were in the bathroom getting Gabrielle ready for when Kyle got over there.

"Ow!!! Oh my God!! How much freakin hair do you have to get down there!?"

Gabrielle's scream made every one out there cringe. "I'm glad I'm not in there," Amy said.

"I kind of wish I was," Andy said.

Marissa sighed. "Does my presence mean nothing to you?" she asked.

"They're taking forever in there. I wonder if they did something wrong in there," Amy said as she watched the door and waited for it to open.

Once the door finally did open, Gabrielle walked out wearing a sleeveless, blue dress that hugged her curves and was low cut. Her hair was a shade lighter and with loose, soft curls that draped over her shoulders and framed her face. Her blue eyes were brought out by her dress. Her black heels were just the perfect height. "And the sad thing is, for all I went through, you can't see the results of the wax," she remarked.

"Well, we could," Doug said as he looked her over.

"Right. No," she said and then walked out into the living room. "What do you think?" she asked as she held out her arms and twirled around. Before anyone could answer, there was a knock at the door and Heather ran to answer it. It was Kyle.

"Hey," Gabrielle said.

"Hey," Kyle said and then froze at the sight of her. He had missed her, and now he was seeing her at what he thought was her best.

"I think Dee wants most of us over at her house," Amy announced. Every one randomly agreed and stood up. They each walked out one by one giving their small little congrats and good lucks to Gabrielle.

Once everyone was gone, Gabrielle smiled over at Kyle and grabbed his hand and lead him over to the the couch. "How have you been?" she asked as they both sat down.

"Not bad," he said and then lowered his eyes to her chest. "But, I gotta say, I'm doing better now."

Gabrielle chuckled. "How sweet," she remarked as she lifted his chin. "I missed you to," she said and then kissed him.

"Can I ask you something?" he asked.

"Sure," Gabrielle said. She was just happy to finally get to see him again.

"Why were you gone for so long?" he asked.

That was a question to ruin the mood right there. She looked down and sighed. "Well," she started. "My mom and I got into a wreck," she said and then lifted her left arm showing off her cast. "Which explains this," she said.

"I guess it would wouldn't it," he said.

"Right, and my mother, she, she was hurt worse than I was," she started.

"I take it she's still in the hospital," he said.

This was weird for Gabrielle. The only people out here that knew about what had happened was the group that picked her up, and she specifically asked them to keep hushed about it until she brought it up. "Not quite. She's dead," Gabrielle said.

Kyle now felt guilty. "Oh, I'm sorry," he quickly apologized.

"Don't worry about it, you were gonna find out sooner or later anyways." She looked up and smiled. "Although, I did find something very, interesting," she said.

"Yeah, what?" he asked.

"My father. His name is Gregory House, and he works over at the hospital that we were at. I ended up staying with him while I was out there," she said.

"You had some trip out there," he said in amazement.

"Yeah," she said with images of her mother's final days passing through her mind. She closed her eyes a minute.

"You okay?" Kyle asked. He knew that he had brought up the worst subject at the worst time. He sat up and turned towards her.

"Sure," she said and then smiled at him. "As long as you're here," she said and then kissed him. "I'm fine."

"That's good," he said.

Gabrielle looked him over. "You ever feel lonely?" she asked.

Kyle widened his eyes. "What do you mean?" he asked not knowing how to respond to that.

"I mean, my mom died, I was just pulled away from my dad and I'm going to be leaving all of my friends soon. How do you think that makes me feel?" she asked. She honestly had no idea why she was doing this, it just came out. It was almost like she had just realized herself that she felt that way. She could see that Kyle was getting uncomfortable and apologized. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't," she said.

"It's okay, you have a very good reason to," he said with some understanding.

Gabrielle smiled over at him and leaned towards him. "I just thought of something that would make me feel better, and less alone," she said and started to push him back and kiss him.

"Gabi?" he asked, but she didn't stop. "Hey Gabrielle!" he yelled getting her to stop and sit up. All she could do was stare at him. The feeling of rejection over came her body, something that she didn't need at the moment. "I know you feel lonely, but please, you'll hate me in the morning if you do this."

Gabrielle sighed and sat back against the couch. "Maybe I should go," Kyle said and then got up and left.

Gabrielle just watched him leave as tears formed in her eyes. "Guess I lost another one," she said as she stared towards the ground.

House pulled on his shirt and underwear and walked over to the couch where Cuddy was sitting with Rachel as she fed her. He just stood there and watched from behind. "I'm trying, but I can't make her drink faster," Cuddy said.

"Well, you could, but that might get you in trouble with well fare," he said. "I'm sure the quickest way though would just to be dumping it in her diaper, everything else seems to end up there within a few minutes anyways," he said.

Cuddy smiled down at Rachel and then got an idea. "Hey, are you bored?" she asked.

"What do you expect after you let a kid ride the best ride ever and then kick him out of the entire park?" he asked.

"You're right, what did I expect.?" she mocked. "Anyways, wanna feed Rachel while I go get her diapers, wipes and powder?" she asked. She knew that she could get all of that stuff on her own, but she just wanted to see House with a baby.

"What ever," he said and then walked around and sat down. Rachel was handed to him right after he sat down. With her bottle in his hand, he started to feed her.

"There you go," Cuddy smiled and then got up and walked over to the baby bag. She paused and looked over at House staring down at Rachel. He wasn't smiling, but he sure wasn't frowning either. Of course, after sex, his emotions would be off. Either way, he seemed to be, content with a baby in his arms, and that to her was great.


	29. Changes and Adjustments

Chapter 29: Changes and Adjustments

Gabrielle lay on the couch in the back room, a place that she was no unfamiliar with. There was a lot on her mind, and was having a hard time getting to sleep. All she did was lay there and stare up at the ceiling. Ever since Kyle had backed away from her and left like that, she had felt lonely. The more that she thought things through, he was right. Losing your mother was no reason to go ahead and lose your virginity. Gabrielle rolled over and stared out the window.

The next morning, she got up and went to school. It was weird for her to finally see those halls again, to go back to her locker and talk to her friends. To her own surprise, she still remembered her locker combination. Most of her day went pretty good, up until after lunch when she and Kyle were both heading to Biology.

Gabrielle grabbed her books from her locker and looked down to talk to Erin. "Not much has changed around here has it?" she asked.

"Nope," Erin laughed as she pulled her book out of her locker. She stood up next to Gabrielle. "We noticed you were gone, but that's about it."

"Well," Gabrielle sighed, "at least I kept up with my homework."

"Trust me, that's all you have to keep up with around here this time of year. The good stuff will start around Valentines Day," Erin said.

Gabrielle laughed as she looked through her papers in her folder.

"Hey Gab."

Gabrielle looked up and saw Kyle standing before her. Anger quickly ran throughout her entire body. In the back of her head, she knew that she was wrong. She knew that he was right to have left when he did and that he had every right to. On the other hand, she felt lonely and rejected all night because of him. "What do you want?" she asked. She felt ashamed of herself and wanted everything to not have to show it.

"I just want to talk to you about last night," he said. There was a true sympathy in his eyes, yet, she didn't want to give in and trust it.

Gabrielle just sighed. "Can't this wait? I have to get to class," she coldly asked.

Kyle just smiled at her. "You know we're lab partners in biology, right?" he asked. Gabrielle slowly lifted her head and closed her eyes. "Yeah, we sit next to each other, so I'm gonna talk to you whether you like it or not."

Gabrielle just sighed and followed him as he walked away. Erin just stood there and shrugged. "We might not have to wait a month before we see something.

Cuddy stood in the bathroom as she applied her make up and fixed her hair. This morning, House had decided to share the bathroom, so he too, was in the mirror as he brushed his teeth and combed his hair. There was obviously no doubt that the two were happy, or what some may call, glowing.

"Do you think the others at work will catch on? Or are they as big as morons as I think they are?" House asked.

Cuddy sighed and put her brush down on the side of the sink. "That all depends, are you going to act like a professional? Or are you going to act like an excited little kid?" Cuddy looked up at him and laughed. "What was I thinking asking you if you would act professional?"

House looked down and smirked at Cuddy. "What?" Cuddy asked as she stared back up at him.

"Wilson doesn't know about the baby yet," House said as he slowly started to grin.

Cuddy rolled her eyes. She didn't know what he had in mind, but she could tell by his face that it was no good. Knowing House he would probably say that Wilson was the father. "House," she started, but then stopped halfway through. "Wait," she said as she slowly turned back to him. "You called it a baby." Cuddy smiled at him.

"And you called it an it," he mocked. It was some kind of odd instinct that he hadn't expected.

Cuddy internally smiled. Everything seemed to be working out. The only problem that she had was that she knew that one thing could ruin all of this. Just one little wrong thing could send House away from her, at least, that was how she saw it. As of now, she didn't really know. House had been surprising her lately. She knew that this question might be too much too quick, but she couldn't help herself. "Do you want a boy?" she asked and then cautiously looked up. She saw him stop brushing his teeth and slowly look down at her. "Or a little girl?" she asked.

He spit into the sick and then wiped his mouth off before he answered, "a boy comes home the next morning all worn out and messed up, you ask him if he had fun and laugh. A girl does that, you take her to get a pregnancy test and punish the hell out of her." House turned and looked to her. "A boy you never have to worry about walking in the door telling you that he's late and that the daddy don't want it."

Cuddy looked to him with disgust. "You have got to be kidding me," she gasped.

"What? Doesn't make sense?" he asked.

House started to walked out of the room, but Cuddy followed him. "Well, it does, but that's not how you raise kids," she said as she followed him into his bedroom.

"Yeah?" he asked as he grabbed his clothes from the closet. "Tell me, how do you raise the perfect children if perfect children don't even exist?" he asked.

Cuddy just stood there for a minute. His final words stung her. She knew that it was impossible to be perfect, but he basically told her that their child wasn't perfect.

"That's an awful lot of pressure for a kid that won't even be born for eight in a half months," he remarked.

Cuddy heavily sighed. "You have a way of making every conversation with you unbearable. Congratulations House," she said and then turned and left the room.

House just watched her leave. "Damn it, and the kid's not here to tell me how to fix it," he mumbled to himself.

Gabrielle silently sat next to Kyle as they waited for Mr. Smith to come in and start class. The last thing that she wanted to do today was to have to do an experiment where she would actually have to talk to him.

Mr. Smith walked in the door and sat down at his desk. "Sorry about that guys, I had to make copies of the directions for today," he said.

Gabrielle inadvertently moaned and slid down in her seat. The last thing that she needed, was what had to be done today. Great, wonderful, it was always the best time when you were working with some one that you were angry at. Gabrielle gathered her papers and stood up. She walked over to his desk and laid the papers down. "I'm caught up with all the work Mr. Smith," she said.

"Thank you," he said as he took it and looked it over. "When would you like to take the quiz? Anytime you're ready is good," he said.

"I'll take it after school today if that's okay," she answered.

"Sure, just come up here and meet me," he said.

"Alright, thank you Mr. Smith," she said and then went back and took her seat.

Gabrielle just sat there and listened to the teacher as they prayed and then went on to go over the experiment. They had to find a way to prove that gravity has an effect on plants. Each group got today and tomorrow's class time to get it started. That only meant that Gabrielle had to actually have contact with this boy for fifty minutes, twice!

Kyle got up and brought the supplies over to Gabrielle who was blankly staring with her arms crossed. "Here we go Gab," he pleasantly said as he set the objects down onto the table before her. The look in her eyes was enough to signal him that she wanted him dead. The only problem was that he knew he was right last night, and the only way to get her to talk was to tell her that she was right. "What is your problem?" he asked.

"You know damn well," she answered under her breath without changing her expression.

Kyle leaned on the table and leaned towards her. "And you know damn well that I was right to leave," he said keeping his voice down.

"You didn't have to leave. You could have simply said no and I would have backed off and you know that," she hissed still keeping her voice down.

"No. No, you wouldn't have. Not like that you wouldn't have," he argued.

Gabrielle stood up and slammed her hands down on the table. "How would you know?" she demanded.

"I have known you since the second grade! I know that you don't take no for an answer!" he answered.

"Still! You were wrong! You left me right after I got done telling you how lonely I was! What kind of jerk does that!?" she asked.

"Zbin! Harris! Hallway," Mr. Smith said as he stood up and headed for the door. Both kids just sighed and followed him. Once they were all outside the room, Mr. Smith closed the door and stood between the two. "Now, I know that people have their differences, but really, you two have got to respect the fact that others in there are trying to work," he said.

Gabrielle closed her eyes for a moment. "I'm sorry," she said and then glared over at Kyle.

"Maybe you two should work this out before you come back into the classroom," he suggested.

"Alright," Kyle said. He just sighed and looked over at Gabrielle with reluctance.

"Sure," she said and then raised her eyebrows at Kyle. "Why not?"

"Maybe I ought to stay out here so that you two don't kill each other," he said.

Both Kyle and Gabrielle looked over at him. "No!" they both quickly responded. They both knew that what they were about to talk about was a bit too personal for anyone's ears.

"All you have to do is apologize and promise to at least keep your voices down. If it's really that bad you two can work it out after school," he said.

"Fine," Gabrielle said and then turned to Kyle. "I'm sorry you think I'm a slutty bitch that was itching to lose her virginity to some one when she needed them."

Kyle just stared at her in disbelief and then looked up at the teacher. "See what I have to deal with?" he asked.

"Just go with it," he answered.

"Ok," he said and then turned his attention to Gabrielle. "I'm sorry that you are one," he said and then walked back into the classroom.

Gabrielle just stood there and blankly stared in his direction. "Well, I'm not gonna deny what came out of my mouth first," she said and then followed him back in.

Mr. Smith just rolled his eyes and went back inside with them. He just watched as Gabrielle went and sat down next to Kyle.

Kyle looked over and sighed. "You're not a bitch," he said under his breath.

Gabrielle smiled over at him as she ruffled his hair. "Aw, you're such a good liar," she said. "But I'm still mad at you," she said and then quickly took her hand back.

"Figures," he said.

Gabrielle walked outside of the school and sat down on the cement wall that went around the flowers and pulled out her cellphone. "Oh?" she asked as she saw that she had a text message.

[i thnk i just called our kid imperfect and now cuddys mad at me. wat do i do?]

"You have got to be kidding me," Gabrielle said staring at the message. She sighed and texted back.

[wat do u thnk? apologize and tell her tht ur kids have 2 b perfect]

She closed her phone after she sent it. Marcy walked out and stood beside her. "Our bus will be here in a minute," she said.

"I know," Gabrielle said and then checked her phone again. Another text message.

"Who's it from?" Marcy asked.

"Dad, he's having some girlfriend problems," Gabrielle answered and then read over the message. "Haha, you already proved that one wrong. Cuddy already told me that she knows no one's perfect. She said that she's not mad but she keeps doing that thing she does when she's mad." Gabrielle looked up at Marcy. "You know, if he would keep his mouth shut that these little incidents wouldn't happen."

"What are you? Their councilor?" Marcy asked.

"You can say that," Gabrielle said. "How does this sound?" she asked. "Give her some space and then surprise her later. How about dinner? She's a vegetarian, but I do know that she likes pasta."

"Great," Marcy said as she kept an eye out for their bus. She waited for Gabrielle to put her phone back into her pocket before she looked over. "I heard you had some boyfriend, girlfriend problems today," she said.

The bus pulled up and they both started walking towards it as they talked. "Well, let's just say that it's a little disagreement from last night," Gabrielle said.

"Oh," Marcy said as they stepped onto the bus. They walked back to two empty seats on the bus and sat down. "Maybe you two should just stay separated for a while," Marcy suggested.

Gabrielle laughed. "You know it," she said and then pulled out her cellphone.

[how do u kno tht?]

[u learn a lot bout a person wen u go thru their house. i think u should tell me wat u have planned 4 2nite b4 u do anything]

House sat in his office as he read over the message. "She doesn't trust me," he said to Wilson who was sitting across from him.

"Smart kid," Wilson said.

Wilson sighed and sat back in the chair as he watched House think through what he was going to reply. "You don't know what you're going to do do you?" Wilson asked.

"Nope," House said still staring at the phone. "But that doesn't mean anything."

"You know," Wilson said as he sat up. "I could help you if you would just tell me what you did." He had that look in his eyes, that whole 'you can trust me' look.

House looked up and smirked. "If you're any kind of doctor, you'll figure it out in a few months," House said. "Maybe weeks, days, years," he looked up and shrugged. "what ever."

"What's wrong with some one else helping you?" Wilson asked.

"What's wrong with keeping your nose out of my ass?" House asked.

"Cute," Wilson said and then sat back again.

[idk yet, just dinner, then...]

He sent the message and waited. As he waited for a response, he looked up and watched Wilson for a second. "If you haven't caught on yet, you are hopeless. Not that I think there is any hope to begin with, but, you get the point," House said.

"I know already, every one knows, we see you two leaving together. You're dating! And that's great!" Wilson exclaimed as he stood up.

House smiled. He wanted so bad to tell him, but he also loved seeing Wilson trying to dig. He looked down at his phone and saw the response.

[u make tht sound so dirty. just try this on ur own. wat do u think would make her happy?]

House sighed and looked up at Wilson. "What things make women happy?" he asked.

Wilson's smile slowly faded to deep thought. "Cuddy? She'll like anything that you put thought into," he sighed as he saw House smugly beginning to smile. "Something decent that you put thought into, not some messed up fantasy of yours," he snapped.

"I know," House absently responded as he got up and made his way to the door. He stopped before he opened the door and smiled at Wilson. "Bye Uncle Jimmy," he mocked innocence and then left.

Wilson stood there and stared for a moment. "Why does every..." he looked up as his eyes widened. "What did he do to Cuddy?" he asked himself and left. "House!" he yelled on his way down the hall.

**Ok, I'm not to sure about this chapter, I wrote it during school. Anyways, let me know what you think. And for anyone wondering, no, there won't be too many chapters like this with Gabrielle having her own story going on in Toledo. **


	30. Questionable Questions

Chapter 30: Questionable Questions

Wilson called for House down the hall, but got no response. He ended up following him to Cuddy's office. House got to her door and stopped to turn around towards Wilson. "This isn't for your ears," he said and then just walked in without knocking.

"What is it House?" Cuddy asked. Her voice was tense as she looked at something on the computer.

"Are you busy tonight?" he asked standing before her desk.

Cuddy raised her eyebrows, but still didn't take her attention away from her computer. She liked the idea of doing something with him, but wanted to know what it was before she said anything.

"It's not like you can lie about plans to your roommate," he said upon her hesitation.

"That all depends on what you have planned," she said.

"You should learn to trust your doctor," House said. He limped a little closer to her and stood before her. "Especially since he's your baby daddy."

Cuddy turned and looked at him.

"Well, you obviously trusted me a little to get to this point," he said.

Cuddy sighed and looked up as she heard a knock at the door. "What did you do? Sign people up to keep coming here?" House hadn't of known it, but she had already had a few groups of people come to her.

"Anything to displease you my mistress," House said.

Cuddy just rolled her eyes. "Come in!" she called out.

Wilson strolled into the room, and she could tell that it wasn't work related. "Hey," he said as he casually looked around.

Both House and Cuddy just watched him. It was starting to make Wilson feel awkward so he leaned over towards House, "it really was personal wasn't it?" he asked.

Cuddy looked back over at House. "What did you tell him?" she asked.

"Nothing. I swear," Wilson said. He could tell that Cuddy had something that she was keeping from him.

Cuddy just smiled at him. She looked down at her desk and then stood up. "I was going to wait a little bit on this," she started and then looked back up at him. "But Wilson, I'm pregnant."

Wilson's eyes widened. He was truly happy for her and he was excited, but he also knew her history with pregnancies. The last thing he wanted to happen was for her to get her heart broken again. "Really!?" he enthusiastically asked.

Cuddy nodded. Wilson walked around the desk and embraced her. "Congratulations Cuddy," he said. He then slowly backed away and cautiously looked into her eyes. "How far along?" he asked.

"Barely a month," she said as her smile started to fade. She knew what was coming next. It was nothing that she had never heard before. Don't get too attached, remember that there's other options, it's not your fault, she had heard it all.

"Just be careful," Wilson said.

"I know," Cuddy said as she smiled at him. "I will," she said and then sat back down at her desk. The room fell silent Wilson walked back around to where House was standing. "Did you?" he started to ask.

"How did you think it happened?" House asked.

"Do you two mind? I have a lot of work to get done," Cuddy asked.

House and Wilson both headed for the door, each of them knew what she was doing. House let Wilson out of the office, but stuck behind and turned back to Cuddy. He mentally asked himself what Gabrielle would have done, or anyone besides him for that matter.

He stood at the door. No one outside could hear him, so there was no risk in saying anything. He had learned from Gabrielle that the only way to get through to her about something like this, was to let her know that she wasn't alone. That was certainly something that was new to him, and something that he would have to be extremely careful with. He turned to her to say something, but nothing came out.

"Yes?" Cuddy asked as she stared up at him. It was obvious that he was trying to figure out what to say, but she didn't know what. "House, I'm okay." She could tell by the mere look in his eyes that he was not convinced. "Really, I'm fine," she said in her final attempt to convince him. There was one thing wrong with her statement, it didn't even convince herself. Her fear of losing started overshadowing anything that she had to be happy about and she hated it. Now Wilson and House knew about, but there never was any doubt that they did.

"Okay," he said and then walked out of the room. House went back up to his office and sat there. He knew that he had to do something. That was how he worked, his actions meant everything and his words very little.

Gabrielle sat in the corner of Marcy's room as she waited for her phone to go off. At any moment, she knew that she would hear of what was going to happen that night.

"That's unhealthy Gabi," Marcy said. She was looking at something on the computer.

Gabrielle just glared up at her. "I don't care, this is important to me," she said and then went back to her phone.

"Well, this is important to me," Marcy said trying to bring Gabrielle's attention to the computer. "The talent show is in a couple weeks and we need a song to perform"

Gabrielle put her phone down and sighed. "Fine, what do you want to do?" she asked.

Marcy studied the computer for a minute. There was a silence as she tried to decide what she wanted. "I think we should pick a foreign song. It makes it look like we have more talent," Marcy said. "It's more complicated," she said.

Gabrielle rolled her eyes. "Okay, what did you have in mind?" she asked.

"How about..." she started as she looked through a few titles. "Tori no uta?" she asked as she looked over.

"Kieru hikoukigumo bokutachi wa miokutta," Gabrielle responded as she kept her eyes down on her phone.

"What?" Marcy asked as she looked up.

"That's what I thought," Gabrielle muttered to herself. "Hulye," she then said under her breath.

"What was that?" Marcy asked.

Gabrielle looked up and imitated innocence. "Nothing," she said as she shook her head.

"Right," Marcy said and then looked down again at her computer. "How about Lilium?"

"That's not how you say that," Gabrielle said without taking her attention away from her phone.

"Okay then, show me where I was wrong," Marcy said. She turned her complete attention over to Gabrielle. For some reason, she just had to hear this.

Gabrielle sighed and looked up from her phone. "Well, you said, lil, ee, um," she said. "It's really lil, lee, OOM, OOM," she explained. "Besides, that's not Japanese my dear, its Latin, listen to the song. Kyrie ignis divine eleison, Lord, the divine fire, have mercy."

Marcy started to play the song, but her face quickly faded. "It sounds like Church music," she said.

"That's why I told you that it was in Latin," Gabrielle said. "If you want to do something more fun, try Moonlight Densetsu or Motteke Sera Fuku," she suggested. "I would prefer Motteke Sera Fuku, it has a cheerleading dance routine that goes with it."

"How the hell could you possibly know that?" Marcy asked as she started to laugh.

"How the hell could you possibly think that I wouldn't find out that your enemy Jacky Clark is doing a routine to a Spanish song?" she asked.

Marcy just turned and stared at Gabrielle. Sure, she had witnessed Gabrielle doing one her weird little observations, but it always amazed her.

"Jacky Clark always helps Kevin and Leah with their Spanish home work which must mean that she's some what good at it and you're over here trying to choose a song from a language that is harder than Spanish. What else am I supposed to think?" she asked.

"I really don't know," Marcy said.

Gabrielle's phone finally beeped and she quickly grabbed it and opened it. "A text from Daddy!" she squealed.

"Get a life," Marcy said.

"Please, I've got more goin on in one weekend then you do in an entire year. I've got my life and a few other lives to juggle around," she explained. "Besides," she said as she looked at the message, "I'm not the one looking up anime themes."

"You have to know them somehow," Marcy said.

"Ah, but I don't just sit at the computer scrambling to find random ones to sing to everyone," Gabrielle said. All the sudden, her eyes widened and the hugest smile came across her face. "Marcy! Marcy! Come over here!" she yelled.

House sat directly across from Cuddy. They didn't go out to dinner, instead, he tried to cook spaghetti. They were both silent for the first few minutes. Cuddy was afraid to talk because she figured that House had his reasons for fixing dinner and she didn't want to ruin anything. House on the other hand, was waiting for Gabrielle to get back to him. He had to tell Cuddy something very important and he wanted Gabrielle to help give him a way to tell her. He kept his phone on silent in his lap and just kept checking it every few minutes.

"I didn't think you could cook like this," Cuddy said after she took a bite.

"It's all in the amount of gin you add. The more you add, the easier it is to convince some one that you actually cooked something half way decent to eat," he said without taking his eyes off his phone.

Cuddy rolled her eyes. That was when she had noticed that he had been keeping his eyes down. "Something interesting down there?" she asked.

House quickly lifted his head up.

"Should I take it as a compliment that your having a problem down there?" she asked.

"Overestimation only leads to disappointment Cuddy," he said as he took both hands and laid them on top of the table. Even with his hands away from his phone, he still kept an eye on it.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

He was okay, just preoccupied. "I would say so, unless some how I wake up in some cell wearing a straight jacket," he said.

"You didn't put your heart into that," Cuddy said starting to wonder what was going on.

"What heart?" he asked.

"What do you have under the table?" she asked.

"I think you've seen before. Twice in the bedroom and once on the floor," House stated.

Cuddy just sighed. That was when House saw the little light go off on his phone. Cuddy just stared at him as he fumbled around with his hands under the table. Of course this just didn't look right to Cuddy. "House, the dinner table is no place for," se was cut off as soon as House set a small box in front of her. He was usually way more original, but this time, but that was also what made it a little unexpected.

"I think you'll figure out what I want, unless I gave you more credit than you deserved," he said.

Cuddy opened the small box and gasped at the ring inside. "House," she softly said as she slowly gazed up at him.

"You wanna be called House to?" he asked trying his hardest to act casual about it.

Cuddy just sat there staring at him with disbelief.

**Hulye - Hungarian for either idiot or moron, can't remember which one, but they both fit.**

**Okay, so I have a story line worked out for each outcome of this chapter, I just can't choose which one to use. But instead of having you vote, I'm gonna have a little contest to see who gets to choose whether Cuddy says yes or no. In one part, Gabrielle and Marcy discuss songs to do for the talent show. All those songs are themes to anime shows. Who ever guesses the correct shows first, gets to decide. Its actually really easy, all you have to do is type the song names in on you tube and it should come up in the results. **

**Tori No Uta**

**Lilium**

**Moonlight Densetsu**

**Motteke Sera Fuku**


	31. My Fire

Chapter 31: My Fire

Cuddy sat there and stared in shock at the man holding the ring before her. This was all that she had wanted, and it was right here, a husband, a child, everything. It had all hit her so suddenly that she didn't know how to react.

"Lisa Cuddy, will you marry me?" he asked. His eyes were focused on her. Everything in the world had seemed to stop as they both sat there in the moment.

"Don't ask about something that you're not ready for," she said. It took all of her strength to not jump up and say yes right away, but she couldn't. She couldn't bare to get hurt. Then again, what did she have to lose? She loved him and he obviously had some feelings for her. Everyone knew that he liked her, it was just never really carried out. There was never a real true relationship between the two. It was never tested.

"Okay," he casually said as he took the box and closed it. He then turned and walked into kitchen. Everything had gone against what he had wanted to happen, not necessarily what he thought, but those were two completely different things. There was also the point that he knew what she was thinking.

Cuddy just sat there in shock as she watched him leave. He was sending her a mixed signal and she didn't know how to read it. At first, it seemed like he was okay with it, but then, he seemed disappointed. What did that mean? Which one did she pay attention to? "House," she called, but she was ignored. A sigh escaped her as she sat there and waited in the silent room. She then reached for her phone and did something that she did so rarely, text. She was going to also ask Gabrielle, something else that she rarely did. The only reason that she was texting was because she thought that it would be bad if House over heard her asking what he had meant by it.

House stood in the kitchen and stared straight forward for a minute. He knew that at any moment Cuddy would be walking through the door and asking to talk about what had just happened. The only problem was that he didn't quite know. All that was certain, was that he had a sudden rush of courage and a desire for something more than sleepover. Of course, he knew what to do about the things that he was unsure of.

Gabrielle was laying on the couch in the back room getting ready to go to sleep. The room was dark and quiet, all until her phone went off. "Come on," she moaned as she sat back up and grabbed her phone. "Cuddy?" she asked as she opened it and saw the number.

[I said I don't know and he said ok and walked out of the room now what?]

Gabrielle was about to reply to it, but got another message before she could.

[so she pretty much turned me down and now im waitin 4 her in the kitchen]

Gabrielle rolled her eyes. First she had to reply to Cuddy, and tell her to go talk to her father. The only problem was gathering what to say. She had to quickly think of something that would both work and sound completely like Cuddy yet, be the perfect thing.

[and do u think tht hes comin bac?]

She had to use up some time with Cuddy so that she could talk to her dad. She had to use the same method on him, perfect, but sounds like him.

[so ur relying on her to come get u?]

She then just sat there and waited for a response from either one. First one was House.

[duh made the first move]

"Okay," she said as she read it. Cuddy's reply came and she read it.

[I don't think so]

Gabrielle was really starting to think that they should work this out on their own, but she couldn't help it. She was like a parent teaching their child to ride a bike, you wanted badly to keep holding on, but you knew that they would get it so much faster if you simply let go and let them ride on their own.

[wat do u think u should do?]

She sent that to both of them and then laid back down and stared up at the ceiling.

Cuddy sat there and stared down at the phone. She didn't know, that was why she had asked some one else. Then again, she knew House well enough that she could figure it out. It wasn't like this was something completely new to her, this was the man that she had met over twenty years ago.

House leaned against the counter and stared down at his phone. "Fine," he said as he put it back into his pocket. He turned his head and looked towards the door. There was a decision to be made and it had to be made right then and there.

It was made for him when Cuddy walked through the entrance and stopped before him. Her eyes were searching his and looking for the true reasoning behind his actions. "Why did you ask me to marry you?" she asked. Her voice was low and steady.

House looked down and studied her for a moment. The eagerness in her eyes began to slowly stick out to him. The thought that he could either make or break something with the next words that came out of his mouth, started to overwhelm him, but he was able to hide it long enough to stand before her and be watched.

"Come on Greg, you have to give me an answer to get what you want," she said with her voice beginning to raise. She was getting angry or annoyed, just anxious. It was obvious how close he was to answering and she just wanted to hear it already. She wanted him to actually take that step. Every inch of her wanted to stay, but she just couldn't if he wasn't ready for any of this.

"I don't want you to leave." It was one of the hardest things that he had ever admitted, but he knew that he had to. There was no way that he would screw this up, well, at least he wasn't going to try to.

"Why?" she asked as she started to slightly smile.

"I needed some new décor for the apartment," he blurted out. He knew that he shouldn't have said that, but it was a second nature to him. Saying things like that was his reaction to everything. It was nearly impossible for him to stop just like that, but he did kick himself for not stopping when it mattered most.

Cuddy sighed and looked down. Why would she have expected anything different? This was House, not some one who can actually communicate with another human being for more then five minutes. Any other time she would have walked away, just give up on the conversation since she knew that it was going nowhere, but not this time. This time he was too close to actually saying something important to her. All he had to do was say three little words, and she would be happy. If he couldn't even say 'I love you' then it was pointless at the moment. "Why can't you just be straight forward with me for once?" she softly asked.

He could see that she was not going to back down. That was great, he got a second chance, he just had to make sure to handle it better than he had the first time. Each time he was going to get a little bit better, he just hoped that it wouldn't take all night with her questioning him. They both knew why he asked and quite frankly all her questioning him would become annoying before the night was over. That, and the fact that he actually had to tell her what he felt. He needed her, she was the fire that kept him going, but he had a hard time saying that. Admitting that he needed some one would let everyone know that he wasn't everything that they saw, that he wasn't happy on his own, that he did actually have feelings. "I don't want you to leave, I like things the way the are, and if you leave I don't think that I would like it as much," he stated. What he didn't tell her, was that besides Gabrielle, she was all that he had.

"Really?" she asked. Her smile was finally coming back. She took her hand and laid it down on top of his.

"Yes," he said. All he could do was stare down into her eyes. It was evident that she wanted to hear more, and he did have more to say, but whether or not he could spit it out was another question in itself. "How do you think I can get through the week without miss party pants around to liven up the place?" he asked. "Well, there are ways, I have done it, but then I would have to clean off the keyboard every night so that I wouldn't have to listen to Gabi complain about how sticky it is."

"That's it?" she asked. Her smile was still there, but her voice had an undertone of disappointment.

House was ready to give in to her. He knew what she wanted to hear and what he needed to say, so he said it. "No, it's not," he said. "I need you," his voice was soft as he kept his head down. "And I don't think you need to look far to find out why."

"That's okay," she said. Cuddy stepped closer to him and grabbed his shoulder. "I need you to," she said and then kissed him.

House slipped his hand out from under hers and wrapped his arm around her to pull her closer as he kissed her back. Once she pulled back, they both stood there and stared at each other for a second. It was almost as if they were trying to register what had just happened. "Do you have your answer yet?" he asked without taking his eyes off of her.

"Yes," she carefully answered. "Yes, I will marry you."


	32. And Now the Games Begin

Chapter 32: And Now the Games Begin

Cuddy sat her office as she looked over the ring on her finger. It was something that she had waited a long time for. No one knew yet, not even Wilson. She wanted to surprise everyone. The only problem now was that she had to keep from showing small signs, although, if House did something completely outrageous to a patient, that would certainly help.

Being careful, she pulled the ring off of her finger and placed it in the box and put it away. First off, this was a hospital, there were plenty of places to lose a ring, and plenty of times where you would have to take a ring off. Second, she didn't want anyone suspicious.

House then quickly opened the door and stepped into the room. "Cuddy?" he asked. He could tell that she jumped when he opened the door, so she was obviously doing something, but that could wait.

"What is it?" she asked, even if she might regret it later on.

"There's an off chance that I might just need a lawyer," he said.

She regretted it. "What did you do this time?" she asked. Now she was annoyed as she glared up at him.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\___………………….

Gabrielle sat in math class. They were working on homework as she sat in front of Emily and beside Lindsay. "Why are you working so fast on that?" Lindsay asked as she looked over on Gabrielle's paper.

"Yeah, you're goin too fast for me," Emily said as she snatched the paper from her desk.

Gabrielle rolled her eyes. "I'm giving the answers to Nikki so that she'll give me religion and stop whining about how Anthony won't help her with homework," Gabrielle explained.

"Pocahontas? You're gonna trust her?" Lindsay asked.

Gabrielle turned to her and shrugged. "You know that she had to of gotten the answers from some one else. AND, I know that she would only cheat from the smart people."

"Then why is she copying yours?" Emily asked.

Gabrielle turned and quickly grabbed her paper. "Fine then."

"I was kidding! I trust you!" Emily said as she watched Gabrielle put her paper away.

"Obviously, or else you wouldn't have taken my answers for seven months straight," Gabrielle said and then handed the paper back.

"You two are pathetic," Lindsay said and then looked down at her desk.

"Oh yeah? Then why is Greg doing your homework for you?" Gabrielle asked.

"He isn't," Lindsay said.

"Like hell he isn't. When I collected yesterday I noticed that you two have very similar handwriting, besides the fact that you two are practically making out every morning by your locker," Gabrielle said.

"You're a stalker, you know that?" Lindsay asked.

Gabrielle proudly grinned. "We all have our hobbies," she said. "And finding ways to piss you off suits me just fine."

"Why do I hang out with you?" Lindsay asked as she folded her arms and leaned back.

"Because you figured that I would stop trying to piss you off," Gabrielle answered.

Before Lindsay could say anything, Mr. Patt looked up from a note that he had received and called Gabrielle to his desk and told her that there was a visitor for her down in the office. So she walked out of the class room into the empty hallway. It was almost dead silent as she closed the door behind her and looked around. It was never good if you were pulled out of class.

She made her way down to the first floor and turned down the long hallway and walked until she reached the front office. "Hello?" she asked as she stepped into the room. "There was some one here to see me?"

The lady behind the desk looked up and then nodded. "Yes, he is waiting for you outside. If you're out there for more than ten minutes some one will be out there to check on you Miss Zbin," she warned.

"Could you by any chance tell me who it is?" Gabrielle asked.

"A man by the name of John Warren, says he is your attorney," she answered as she shuffled through a pile of papers.

"Okay," she said as she left the room. Confused, she slowly made her way over to the door. Once there, she walked out and saw him standing by the wall with his suitcase open. She walked over and sat down on the wall besides the suitcase. "Gabrielle Zbin," she greeted.

The man was dressed up and had his hair neatly combed back. He looked as if he were in his late thirties to early forties and greatly serious. "David Winchester," he said and then looked up at her. "I have a few questions for you about a few people that you know."

"Okay," she said wanting to get this over with. She was starting to pick up on what was going on. It was noticeable on one of his papers that had random bank account numbers on it. "Eloise Zbin and Gregory House," she said under her breathe.

"And a Lisa Cuddy," he said. "But very good."

"Thanks," she said as she stared down towards the sidewalk. All she could do was to wait to hear the first question and see how bad these were going to be.

"Describe Eloise Zbin through your point of view please," he said.

Gabrielle sighed and looked up at him. This was going to be easier than she had thought. "Aunt Eloise," she started. "She's a stuck up, selfish, bitchy gold digger that has belittled everything about me and has even stooped down to hitting me," Gabrielle said.

"Alright." His voice and face were completely without emotion. "And Gregory House?" he asked without looking up.

"Pompous, jerk, observant, cranky, obsessive, cynical, and yet, completely awesome." Gabrielle slightly smiled. "Daddy."

"Okay, now how about Lisa Cuddy," he said.

"Workaholic, stressed, caring." She looked up at him and brought her little smile back. "Mommy," she said.

"I see," he said. He looked up at her and studied her for a minute. "Now, Lisa Cuddy and Gregory House are close, so if one were to take care of you, the other would have a hand in it to. Would you say that is correct?" he asked.

"They're getting married, so yes," she answered.

"I see," he marked something down on his paper and then looked back up. "Just one last question, why does Eloise Zbin not want you to live with these people?" he asked.

"Because sir, she wants my money and if I'm with some one else, she'll never see it. It's all very clear and simple."

"We'll just see about that Miss Zbin," he said and then put his papers back into his briefcase. "But, in the meantime I suggest that you go back to class and then make sure you have your things packed just in case you need to come back to New Jersey."

"Yes sir," she said and then slowly walked back into the building. She got to the door and held onto the handle for a minute as she looked up. "And now the games begin," she said and then opened the door and went back inside.


	33. Lawsuit

Chapter 33: Lawsuit

Gabrielle sat there in Marcy's room with her things packed as she stared down at her cell phone. She wanted to call her father, but she had figured that he would call her as soon as he heard something. One thing was for sure, it was about the paper that they had found at the funeral. Eloise needed her money. "I guess we'll get to see how much he really wants me," she sighed to herself.

When a few minutes of silence finally passed, she decided to call him. She dialed the number, but only got his answering machine. "Daddy? It's Gabi, yeah, just, just call me back when ever," she said and then hung up.

Marcy walked into the room and saw Gabrielle just sitting there. "Oh, there you are. You ready to practice our routine yet?" Marcy asked.

Gabrielle hadn't told any of her friends what had happened yet, but still didn't feel like practicing just to cover it up. That was why she needed a better reason. "I think you can do it on your own today. I lead you guys for a few days n a row there," she said.

"Oh come on! You're the head cheerleader!" Marcy nearly pleaded.

Gabrielle just sighed and looked up at her. She had to tell her sometime. "Can I talk to you for a sec?" she asked.

"Sure," Marcy said and then sat down on the bed.

"I might be going back to New Jersey," she bluntly stated.

"Jeeze, why don't you just live there?" Marcy asked.

"I think you just picked up on the idea," Gabrielle stated. Everyone here knew that she would eventually be moving back to New Jersey, but no one, including her, expected it during the school year. There was a small shock value to it.

"You mean, like soon soon? Or just soon, like summer soon?" Marcy asked. She didn't want Gabrielle to leave, she was sorta having fun with her around.

"I don't know. I was just told to have my bags packed. Now all I do is wait," she said.

"For how long?" Marcy asked.

"I don't know, hence the waiting part," she said.

Marcy looked around the room for a minute. She wanted badly to ask exactly what was going on, but didn't want to get Gabrielle mad at her for asking.

"My Aunt wants custody of me," Gabrielle said. "And my Daddy is going to fight her for it."

Marcy quickly turned. "How did you...." she put her hands up in defeat and stood up. "Never mind, I already know what you can do. Why even try to understand?"

Gabrielle sat there and smiled. "I know, cool right?" she asked.

"Maybe. In a circus freak sorta way," Marcy said.

Gabrielle just shook her head and then went back to her phone.

House sat in his office. Before him on the desk were a few scattered papers that he had received from his lawyer. Eloise wanted Gabrielle and he had to figure out a way to prove that he could take care of her better. Some how at the moment, that seemed a bit impossible. Under his files, he had things like drug abuser, single man, all the lawsuits he had had, everything that could go against him, while hers were clean. Even if it looked impossible, he knew he could win, but just not in the small window of time that he was given.

"First I have to prove I'm her father," he said as he took a syringe out and drew some of his blood. He figured that he could get some from her when ever she came out. Once he had the sample from himself, he set the blood down on the desk next to the papers.

"Now all I have to do is prove I'm a decent person," he said reading through the papers. That made him laugh. "Right, and that lady will actually get what she deserves and be hung," House said.

He sighed and put the papers all back into a briefcase and closed it up. This was something that he had never tried before, he had never tried having some one get extremely close to him, he had never fought for anyone, and now he had to prove himself.

That was when it hit him. "I'm not father material," he said to himself. He grabbed what he needed and went down to Cuddy's office. He didn't knock on the door, and why would he? That was his signature entrance anywhere.

Cuddy looked up and glared at him. "Okay, I can understand you doing that at home because you may not be completely used to living with people, but at work?" she asked.

House sighed and closed the door behind him. This was his chance and he needed to make sure that she picked up on the fact that this was pretty important. He went and stood before her desk and set the briefcase down on top of what ever she happened to be working on. "I think you should hear this," he said.

"I just hope it's something good," she said as she sat back and watched. There was something that told her that this was going to be interesting.

"It's about the custody trial," House somberly announced as he sat down.

Cuddy's expression suddenly changed from amusement to concern. "What happened?" she asked.

"What do you think of me as a father?" he asked.

Cuddy smiled. "I have seen you with Gabrielle, and I think you two are great together. Annoying and obnoxious at times, but you two certainly were made to live with each other," she said.

"Of course, go ahead and sugar coat it," House said. He was starting to get irritated and he really didn't know whether it was from Eloise or if it was just because he knew the true answer to what he had asked.

"You know that you two get along well," she said.

"Right," he said a he stared down towards the floor. He then looked up. "Now, pretend that you don't know either of us and you see my record," he said. "Now, what do you think of me as a father?"

Cuddy sighed. She could easily see his point. "Maybe Gabrielle will just get to choose," she said.

"Right, and then we'll all live happily ever after in candy land," he scoffed. He sighed and took a minute to calm himself. He turned to Cuddy. "You think you can do something for me?" he asked.

"Sure," she said. Right now she was getting angry at him, but there was no way that she was going to sit back and watch his daughter get taken away from him.

House opened up the briefcase and looked through the papers until he got to one and pulled it out. He laid it down in front of Cuddy. "Do you think you can be the one to adopt Gabrielle?" he asked.

Cuddy just stare to him in shock.

**I know that this is short, but I wrote this during class. I hope you like it. Please review, and thank you to those who have reviewed :) **


	34. Playing Mommy

Chapter 34: Playing Mommy

Cuddy sat there and stared at House for a minute. She was sort of honored that he would pick her to do something like that, but at the same time, she didn't want him doing anything that he would regret. "Are you sure that you want this?" Cuddy asked.

"I wouldn't ask if I didn't," House said. He could see that she didn't know how to respond to his question. He leaned down on her desk and waited for her to look back up from the papers and at him. "Look, we live in the same apartment, we're going to get married, and Gabi likes you. I won't regret it, and no one else will," he stated.

Cuddy looked down and sighed. "Just make sure that Gabrielle is okay with this," she said and then turned her attention back to the man before her. "I don't want her to think that you just gave up," she said.

"Right," House said. He reached into his pocket and grabbed his cellphone and called.

Gabrielle was sitting on the bus. She was on her ay back to Marcy's house from school. All that she had felt like doing was staring out the window. She had been thinking about the conversation that she had had with the lawyer earlier, it was starting to make her nervous. She was in such a daze that it made her jump when her phone went off. "Hello?" she asked.

"Yeah, I need to talk to you," House stated. He kept his eyes down on his hand that held onto to his cane.

"Kay, sup?" she asked. Suddenly, her nerves tensed up. When ever anyone said that they needed to talk, it was bad.

"What do you think my records say?" he asked.

Gabrielle sighed. "Why do I have the feeling that this can't be good?" she asked. "Probably things like drug user, maniac, mental, and so many things that I do not want to get into," she said.

"Kids right," he said more to Cuddy. "Yes," he said. "And how do you think that that's going to look in court?" she asked.

"Oh no, what did you say to the lawyer?" Gabrielle asked.

"I didn't say anything to anyone, it doesn't matter, I have a record and you know that Eloise is going to bring all of that up," he bluntly explained.

"I see," she said. Gabrielle already knew that, she just refused to let herself think about it.

"Now its Cuddy's turn," he said. He handed the phone to her and went and sat down on the couch.

Cuddy rolled her eyes and took the phone. "Hi Gabrielle," she greeted as she glared over at House.

"What's going on?" Gabrielle asked.

Cuddy paused for a minute as she looked down at the papers. She had to gather her thoughts and be completely sure of what she was going to say before she opened her mouth. "Well, your father told you what was wrong," she started.

"Yeah, he's him," Gabrielle said as if the obvious had just been pointed out to her.

"Right. Well, how would you like it if I were to be the one to fight for custody now and then your dad can completely adopt you later on?" she asked more cautiously than she had intended.

"Yes, that would be great!" Gabrielle said. Her face and mood suddenly dropped as soon as a thought crossed her mind. "Are you sure you want to do this? I mean, if there's anything that you don't want others to know," Gabrielle started.

"It's, I'm fine. Trust me, I don't have nearly the same record House does," she said.

"Ok, as long as you're alright with all of this," Gabrielle said. "Call me if I need to come out there or if anything happens. I know how to deal with the old bitch so if she messes with either you or daddy, tell me," she said.

"You don't think we can take care of ourselves?" Cuddy asked.

"You don't think I would do anything to get back at her?" Gabrielle asked with fake surprise.

"Just don't get anyone, including yourself, in any trouble. We're about to do a lot for you and it would help if you would save all of that stuff until after this is all said and done," Cuddy warned.

"Aww," Gabrielle joked. "You even sound like a mommy. Congrats," she said.

Cuddy just rolled her eyes. "Bye Gabrielle," she said and then hung up.

"Aww, you sound like a mommy already," House remarked as he stood up.

Cuddy just curiously looked down at the phone and then back up at him. "What ever," she said as she shook her head. "Do you know when a lawyer will be coming to speak to us?" she asked.

"Tomorrow at two he was going to meet me over at Capers," he said. "I believe we were going to discuss the weather and then gradually move into sports. It's so hard to go on these blind dates, you never know what pointless thing someone will want to go on and on about."

"Just behave, that's all I ask of you," she warned.

"Isn't that all you ever ask of me?" he smugly asked.

"Just do it," she said.

House over exaggerated a sigh. "Fine," he said and then left the room.

Gabrielle just smiled down at the phone. She knew that this was all going to work out, and she was glad that they were making sure that she would be able to stay with them. No one had ever really done anything like that for her. The closest that came to that was when her grandparents were paying for her education. "I just hope that this doesn't take a toll on Cuddy," she said. She knew that House could take anything that they would have said in court, but she wasn't so sure about. It was easy to tell that Cuddy could handle herself, but she had her sensitive points, and one of them was how she was as a mother. That was not a good area to be insecure in while in a custody trial.

House and Cuddy sat down at the table across from the lawyer. He hadn't heard of the change of plans yet.

"Good afternoon Mr. House and Ms. Cuddy," he greeted and then opened up a few files. "I just have a few questions for the both of you, mostly concerning Mr. House and his personal life," he stated and then looked up.

"Actually," House said. "I backed out, it's her turn to have all the fun now," House said as he pointed to Cuddy.

"Is this true?" he asked.

"Yes it is," Cuddy answered.

"Okay," Winchester said and then took his pen out and wrote down a few notes to himself. "I think that this case is turning out to be very interesting," he said.

"You thinking about making it into a novel?" House asked.

"Shut up House," Cuddy hissed.

"Actually, this case should be easy, the judge will lean towards what Gabrielle says. The only reason that we have a case is because Maria signed something. I also received word that Eloise once hit Gabrielle," he said.

"Doesn't that keep her from getting custody?" Cuddy asked.

"Miss, getting his in the face once is like getting a spanking, it happens when the kid needs to be disciplined. Eloise argued her side of the story and many people agreed that Gabrielle had stepped out of line there," he said.

"So what makes you so sure that we'll get her?" House asked.

"Well, I went to Toledo and asked Gabrielle about you, Lisa Cuddy and Eloise Zbin." He pulled out a page and looked it over. "And Zbins was the worst. She described you as a complete jerk but complete awesome and then summed it up by calling you daddy," he said.

This was nothing new to House so he just nodded and then sat back.

"And you," he said pointing to Cuddy. "She said that you're a workaholic, caring and she summed that up by calling you mommy," he said.

Cuddy's eyes lit up. "She called me mommy?" she asked.

"Yes she did. Why?" he asked.

"Are you sure that she wasn't kidding or teasing or anything?" Cuddy asked.

"She was completely serious," he said.

"Oh," Cuddy looked down and slightly smiled. That was the first time ever that she had been seriously called mommy by anyone. "I was just wondering."

"Anyways, I know your income, I know where you live, and it's a good area. I also know that you adopted a baby girl about a month ago," he said.

"That is all correct," Cuddy answered.

"Now, what I really need to know is, are there any events in your life or drugs you do or bad habits you have or anything on those lines that I should know about so I can prepare to fight them in court?" he asked.

"Mike Suder, he was a boyfriend that abused me while Rachel was home, but she was never even touched by him and he's gone now," she said.

"Okay," Winchester said as he wrote this down and then looked up at her. "Is there anything else that I should know about?" he asked.

"That's it," she said.

"Okay then, all I need to do is have you sign a few things and then I can let you go on your way," he said.

"Alright," she said and then signed any papers that she needed to.


	35. Moving Forward

Chapter 35: Moving Forward

It was late in the night and Cuddy was already in bed as House sat up and stared at the TV. He wasn't really watching it, his mind was too filled with the thoughts of every turn that his life was taking now. He had discovered he had a daughter and some how that lead up to a marriage. This was something that he wanted, but he had to change, or else he would lose it just like he had lost everything else in his life.

For some reason, everything that he had wrecked was coming back to him. He was getting every second chance that he could. He screwed up his relationship with Maria and missed out on a lot of his daughter's life, and now, he is going to get to live with her. Most daughters in her spot would have been a little bitter or angry, but she for some reason, understood. Of course, this was his daughter, she thought a lot like him, and Maria did explain to her that she left him, so it would make it hard for her to be mad at him.

Another chance he got, was with Cuddy. Neither of them ever brought it up, but they did try to be together in college. The did tell others that they just knew each other and that was it, but that wasn't it. There was a lot more to the story, like how they lost their virginity to each other and they dated for six months, and then, how House left her when he had to take another course and found another pretty girl to cheat of off during tests when ever he forgot to study. He knew that he didn't deserve any chances with her after that, but some how they kept getting thrown back together.

He was about to turn the television off and head to bed, but he heard Rachel begin to cry. In eight months Cuddy was going to have another baby, and she had had a busy day, he figured he could do this. As quickly as he could, House went over to Rachel and leaned his cane against the side of the bassinette and picked up the little baby. "What is it? No one cries like that for nothing," he said as he carried her into the kitchen. He stopped before the fridge and pulled out a bottle and then went to go heat it up. As he waited, he sat down with Rachel and put her in the small seat and watched her for a minute as she cried. She had calmed down a bit, but she was still crying. He finally rolled his eyes. "Fine, take it," he said as he held his hand out. Nothing.

"Okay then," House said and then got up and went to get his cane. He could tell that this was going to be long and thought that he should at least have his cane, instead of limping around the kitchen. Once he returned he grabbed her bottle and attempted to feed her. When that failed, he checked her diaper, and when he realized that she was clean, he tried burping her, but getting nothing after ten minutes, usually meant that there was nothing there in the first place.

"Alright kid, I give up. What do you want?" he asked standing before the fussy child. "I'm just surprised your mother hasn't woken up and come out here yet," he said and then turned around to make sure that she wasn't standing in the room with him. Since there seemed to be no answer, House just propped his cane up against the high chair and sat down across from her. "If you won't help me, I won't help you," he stubbornly said. Now he was beginning to sound irrational to even himself, but then again, this was the type of situation that would do it.

Rachel then, without warning just took his cane and started chewing on the handle. House heard her stop crying, but hesitated to look over. Once he finally did he sighed. "First my finger and now my cane?" he asked. "Well, better not let her ever see my vicodin," he said and then rested his head in his hands. He just let her go for a few minutes and then lifted his face, only to receive a laugh from her. "I'm going to put you to bed now," he said and then attempted to take his cane back, but of course, that only resulted in her crying again. So he carried the crying baby back to her bassinette and then held the cane over the side for her to chew on.

Cuddy walked out and stood in the doorway as she observed. "You know you could have just handed her her pacifier," she said.

House turned and saw her. "Yeah, I thought about that, but that was just so impersonal," he said and then turned back to Rachel.

Cuddy walked over to him and looked down at Rachel. She could not believe that he was standing there with his cane over the side just so that she wouldn't cry. Then again, there were times that she would have been willing to give up everything just to get her to stop crying so that she could get some sleep. "I'm impressed," Cuddy said.

"Please, you should have seen us in the kitchen. I had her obeying every one of my stupid commands," he remarked.

"And that's why you're the one holding your cane up for her to chew on," Cuddy replied as she folded her arms.

House just sighed. "Oh well, got her to sleep," he said.

They both stood there and stared down at her for a minute. Cuddy just smiled at her sleeping daughter and then turned and kissed House on the cheek. "Thank you," she said and then went back to the bedroom.

House sighed. "Anytime," he said and then just continued staring down at Rachel.

*******

Gabrielle was standing in Marcy's living room as they both waited for Heather. They were going to head over to Gabrielle's house to go through a few things. It had been a long time since Gabrielle had even been passed her house, let alone, inside.

"Hey, why are we doing this anyways?" Marcy asked. She could see that Gabrielle didn't really want to do this, but there was something in her eyes that made her think that she was happy that she would see her house again.

Gabrielle folded her arms as she sighed. "I have a video tape, and on that tape is my Aunt Eloise and I, and on there is how she usually treats me. I thought if I could bring that to New Jersey with me I could prove that she would be a horrible person to live with," she said. That part was very true, but she also wanted a reason to go back. For some reason, she was just, curious.

"Makes sense," Marcy said. She sort of shrugged off her answer. It was apparent that she had just been wanting to go, but why say anything now?

Once Heather was ready, all three got into the car and drove off towards Gabrielle's old house. The car ride she spent looking out the window. It was still easy for her to keep track of what Heather and Marcy were talking about, but she just didn't feel like talking right now. Instead she had to think of where that tape would be. She knew that it had to be in the attic, probably on the shelve by the crawl space. It didn't matter, she knew that she would find it.

"We're here," Marcy said. She sat there and waiting for a response before she left the car.

Gabrielle just undid her seat belt and got out of the car. Once out, all she did was stand there and look around. It was the yard and house that her grandparents had given to Maria. Two acres with cornfields around. A barn in the back, Christmas trees in the front yard, the random trees that would change to bright orange and red in the fall. Her spot behind the barn with the three trees in a row right before the field where she would draw or write. Her swing set, the one that she had been using since she was three.

Gabrielle looked over and smiled at Marcy. "Last one there?" she asked.

Marcy started to laugh. "You would," she said.

"You're right," Gabrielle said and then ran towards the swing set. Marcy just followed her. They both had to stand there and wipe the snow off the swings, but decided not to once they saw how wet that the seats where.

"Come on you two! Let's go inside and get this over with!" Heather yelled out.

The two rolled their eyes and went to join her at the back door. Gabrielle had to grab her key and open it up. They all walked in and looked around. "It's the exact same way we left it," she said to herself and then sighed as she went through the kitchen and to the stairway. Gabrielle could hear the two finally starting up the stairs and slowed down to wait for them and then turned the corner into the hallway.

Gabrielle stopped at the first room on the right and opened the door. The messy bedroom that she had left behind was still there. All the drawings scattered out on the desk, the clothes carelessly tossed about, her guitar next to her mirror, it was all still there. It wasn't that she had expected it to be different, it was just, weird. Marcy and Heather just silently followed as Gabrielle looked around. She was slowly making her way to the door across the room. "That's the attic, right?" Marcy asked.

"Yep," Gabrielle said and then opened it. "Here it is!" she said and then quickly went in and knelt down before the shelf in the back next to the window.

Marcy just walked in as she watched Gabrielle go through the random videos. There was a bit of curiosity since she had never seen the attic, but then again, no one ever really shows off their attic to any one. "Hey, do you mind if I look around?" she asked.

"Sure," Gabrielle said as she started to laugh. "It's just old things though." She was much too preoccupied looking through the videos before her to care what Marcy and Heather did.

Marcy looked down at a pile of photo albums. "Your mom have some free time?" she asked.

Gabrielle turned and saw what she was talking about. "Oh, yeah. I did a few of those to," Gabrielle said and then went back to looking.

Marcy was about to pick one up, but saw a blue photo album sticking out from behind one of the shelves. "Hey, what's this one?" she asked. Marcy held it up for Gabrielle to see.

"Got it," Gabrielle said to herself and then stuck the video in her purse. When she stood up, she paused.

"Gabi?" Marcy asked.

Gabrielle kept her eyes on the book. "Where did you find that?" she asked. There was something in her voice that let off that let Marcy know that she had done something that she shouldn't have. After a minute of watching, she walked over and pulled the book out of Marcy's hand and stared down at it. There was something special about the little blue book.

"It was just behind the shelf," Marcy casually answered. She was starting to wonder what she had really found.

"Oh," Gabrielle said. She looked down and studied it for a moment. "Hey, why don't you go get Heather to start the car up, and I'll be there in a minute," Gabrielle suggested.

"Okay," Marcy said. She could see that Gabrielle wanted to be alone for a minute, so she just did as was told.

Gabrielle just slowly stepped out of the attic and stared down at the book. She ran her fingers down the binding and then slipped it into her purse. "I guess there are some things that you truly never forget," she said and then closed the door and left.


	36. Going Back

Chapter 36: Going Back

Gabrielle just sat there in the back room as she stared down at the blue book before her. There was something in that book that had brought back so many memories. Her fingers lightly caressed the corners of the papers. The book had been in her hands the entire time after she had gotten it from the attic. It had been a week, but yet, she had not opened the book yet. Every time she went to open it, there was a wave of emptiness and regret that came over her and made it nearly impossible to open it. It was almost like trying to get through a movie that disturbed you so much you could barely handle it, but at the same time there was a curiosity that kept you watching it.

"Come on," she softly scolded herself. She took her hand and slowly opened the front cover of the book. Once she got it open, there was a letter folded in the front cover. All she could do was stare at it. With hesitation, she picked up the letter and opened it.

_I'm sorry it had to be this way. I guess I am not who I thought I was and now I have to leave you. I am moving back to New York. You know that I would normally give you a phone number to contact me, but I can't. It would be so much easier if I just left. The both of us know that it is impossible to part when we are saying goodbye to each other, but of course under these circumstances it would not nearly be as hard. I'm sorry. _

_Love, _

_Charlie_

She could not believe that she had even found that letter. It had been a few years since she had even thought about what had happened. A tear mixed of anger and sadness trickled down her cheek. Wiping it away, she carefully refolded the letter and stuck it back into the cover. "That's enough of that for today," she said as she laid the book down on the table. "Maybe tomorrow I'll get to the second page."

Before she could get up and leave the room, her phone went off. She let out a sigh and answered it. "Yeah?" she asked.

House was on the other end. "We need you out here for a few questions," he said.

Gabrielle yet again, sighed. This was certainly the last thing that she wanted to do, but if it helped her get out of the hands of Eloise, it was definitely worth it. "Okay, when do you want me out there?" she asked.

House sat there ad thought for a moment. "Well, I'll buy your ticket and send it to you, so you'll probably be out here in about a week," he said.

"Okay then, I'll wait for it. Did I already give you my address or do you still need it?" she asked.

"You better give it to me," he said. House went over and grabbed a pad of paper and a pen. "Shoot," he said.

"Eight sixty-five Midfield Street Toledo Ohio, four three five three seven," she said.

"Got it," he said. House laid the pen down and looked over the address. "You'll only need to be here for a few days, so don't bring too much with you," he explained.

"I know," Gabrielle said. "I just hope that I don't miss too many more days of school. I'll start getting in trouble," she said. Through out the year, the only time she had missed was when she was out there with her mother, and that was a couple weeks. They let her off without punishment since had a few signed notes and excuses. There was a good chance that she could get through this without any trouble too, but there was also the fact that she had to make up al her school work.

"Do you really think that I would let you get in trouble?" he asked. If there was anyone who knew how to get around things, he did.

Gabrielle laughed, "Now I know I'll be fine," she said.

They both finished talking to each other and said their goodbyes. It was a week later when Gabrielle finally had gotten her ticket to New Jersey, she was just upset that it was during the week of Valentine's day, she was going to be missing the chance to spend it with Kyle. Of course, now she had the chance to help her Daddy do something nice for Cuddy.

Gabrielle packed a few outfits, her laptop, her tape and the blue book and flew out to New Jersey. She was met by her father at the airport.

"Daddy!" she called over once had finally found him in the airport. She ran over and stood before him. The smile on her face was bugger than it had been in a while. The young girl set her suitcase down and hugged her father.

House sighed and quickly and briefly hugged back. Gabrielle picked up on the hint and backed away. "That's right, you're an unfeeling emo. Sorry man," she said.

"What?" he asked as he looked down at her.

Gabrielle just looked up at him and shook her head. "Denial, it's a horrible thing," she said and then looked down and continued to shake her head.

"Then I would stop denying the fact that you 're nothing more than a smart ass," he said.

Gabrielle looked up at him with her best big puppy dog eyes and pouty face. "Coming from the man who gave me my smart ass?" she mockingly asked.

House just raised his eyebrow and looked down to her. "I really don't give you enough credit do I?" he asked.

"No," Gabrielle smiled.

House then lead to the car and Gabrielle grabbed her things and happily followed him. The ride to his apartment was spent talking about the trial. So far, she had known that Cuddy was going to be the one fighting for her custody. Right now, she was just concerned about making sure that she wasn't hurt by Eloise. "Daddy, you know Eloise pretty well, right?" she asked.

House shrugged. "I know she yelled at me a lot while I was dating your mother. I know enough to sacrifice her life to save everyone else," he said.

"And how we all know that you know Cuddy real well," she said. "Well enough to know that when Eloise starts poking at her as a mother, that Cuddy will get hurt."

"By the wicked bitch of the East coast?" House asked. He thought for a moment. "I guess she still would wouldn't she? Why didn't that thought cross my mind?" he asked himself.

"Because you're selfish, but I really can't say that since it was for me and you didn't just give up," she said.

They each turned to each other. "We'll just have to keep reassuring her that she is a good mother," they both said at the same time. Gabrielle started to laugh. "You do care," she joked.

"I care for a lot of things, like getting able to sleep at night," he said.

"Sure," she said. It was obvious that he cared for a lot more then that, but why ruin the moment?

Once they finally got to his apartment, she rushed ahead of him and got to his place. "Hello!" she cheerfully greeted as she walked in the door. Cuddy looked up from the couch and smiled. "Hello Gabi," she greeted and set her papers down. "How was your trip" she asked.

"Good," Gabrielle said and then walked over to Rachel who was in her playpen, "Hey there," she said. She then walked over and sat down on the couch and joined her. "My dad should be here in a minute, limpy's just being a little slow today," she said.

"Right," Cuddy said. "So did you find anything that would help out?" she asked.

"Yeah," Gabrielle said and then pulled out the tape. "Watch this when ever you want. It's of Eloise and me when I was about four or five," she said.

"I'll watch it tonight," Cuddy said. She knew it really didn't matter whether or not she watched it, but she wanted to know what was on there.

"You left me," House said as he walked in the door. "How could you leave a cripple in the middle of the road?" he teasingly asked.

"I was simply trying to forget the painful fact that my daddy can't walk right," she mocked.

"Do us all a favor and go into theater. They seem to praise bullshit there," he said as he walked passed them and into the kitchen.

"Love you too!" Gabrielle called out. A sigh small sighed slipped out of her mouth. She sat back and looked over to Cuddy with raised eyebrows. "I hit a soft spot," she said. "You can always tell when you hit some one's soft spot. Especially when they leave the room."

Cuddy looked to her for a second with complete interest. "I'm just wondering, how do you and your father do that?" she asked. This was something that she thought only House could do. She had never questioned it before, but that was because she knew the type of answer that she would get from him. Gabrielle on the other hand, she knew would say something other then 'because I'm the only one smart enough to'.

"What? Insult each other? Easy, look what I've got to work with," she said.

"No, observe people like you," Cuddy said.

"I don't know, maybe cus I'm one of the only people smart enough to notice anything," she said.

Cuddy rolled her eyes. How did she not see that one coming?

"Honestly?" Gabrielle asked. "I'm for the same reason he is," she said and then leaned in towards Cuddy. "We don't trust everyone or any one. You watch people and then you figure it out. And once you know some one, you know their weaknesses and then you can easily break them down and be the dominant person in the room. It's not really something that you practice and become good at, you just sorta are good at it."

"So you have always been the ideal stalker," Cuddy said.

"No, I wasn't," Gabrielle said. She could see that she really grabbed Cuddy's attention now. "I used to be a sweet little girl. If anything, I spent a large part of my life like my mother and then grew into my father." Gabrielle sat back and sighed. "You're never born like that, you become like that. There has to be certain occurrences to bring that out in you," she said.

"Yeah? What happened to you to bring out those traits?" Cuddy asked.

Gabrielle smirked. "Please, it wouldn't any fun if I just came out and told you," she said and then got up and went to go join House in the kitchen.

Cuddy just sat there for a second and stared for a moment.


	37. Gabrielle's Past part 1

Chapter 37:Gabrielle's Past (part 1)

Cuddy sat on the couch in the darkened living room after she had put Rachel to bed. It had been a long day and she was tired, but there was a curiosity in her that convinced her to watch the tape that Gabrielle had brought with her. She got up and started the tape and then settled back down on the couch.

The video started with Gabrielle walking out into the middle of Eloise's living room. She looked like she was about five. Her almost white blonde hair was pulled up in a small ponytail on the top of her head as she wore a pink tutu.

"Come on Gabrielle, show everyone what your Aunt has taught you," Eloise said.

Gabrielle just stubbornly crossed her arms and pouted. "I don't want to anymore. I just want to play outside," she said.

"Now come on Gabrielle," Eloise scolded. "You know that playing outside is for little boys. Little girls are supposed to be pretty little princesses and ballerinas. You don't want to be a boy do you?" Eloise asked. It was easy to detect the annoyance in her voice.

"Would it get me out of dancing?" Gabrielle asked.

"You little brat!" Eloise yelled and then set the camera down. Eloise came into the frame of the picture and stood before Gabrielle. "Now come on! I took all of that time to teach you something worth while! Now do it before I regret it!" she yelled.

"I already regret it!" Gabrielle yelled. Tears started to stream down her cheeks.

Eloise slapped her across the face. "You're the reason that your with me right now instead of your mother! She couldn't put up with a little bitch like you!" Eloise yelled.

"That's not true!" Gabrielle yelled in protest. "She loves me!"

"Then why isn't she here right now and I am?" Eloise asked.

Gabrielle just stood there and looked down as she began to cry.

"No use crying like a baby over something you can't change. Now act like you're supposed to and do what I taught you," Eloise ordered.

That was the end of the tape.

Cuddy just sat there and stared at the screen. It was hard for her to see anyone treat any kid that way. Everything that she had just seen made her start to wonder what happened off the camera. There had to be more behind why Gabrielle hated her so much. There had to be more behind it, she knew that Gabrielle would be able to handle anything could be said to her. Besides, if Eloise was that bad with a small argument like that, image what she could have been like over something huge.

"Give that Bitch what she deserves."

Cuddy quickly turned and saw the clenched fist resting on the back of the couch. Her eyes followed up his arm and stopped at his cold eyes which were now fixed on the screen. "Don't do anything that you'll regret," Cuddy warned.

House looked down and stared for a second. There was something in his eyes that sent chills down her back. He was hiding something, she didn't know what, but he was hiding something. "Please, you didn't think I was gonna kill her did you?" he asked. He went around and sat down next to her. "If anything I was going to call up her old "boyfriends" and have them come in and tell the court what she really is and then accuse her of trying to play pimp to Gabrielle."

Cuddy just sighed. "Go ahead and call all the people you want, but don't you dare make a statement in court that you can't back up," she warned. "You and I both know that if anything goes wrong, it's going to be her that's going to pay for it, not us, and right now, after seeing the way you reacted to that video, I'm not sure you could live with that," Cuddy said and then stood up. She walked off towards Gabrielle's room.

House just sat there and stared. He knew what he wanted to do, and he knew how to do it, but there was only one problem, he wasn't playing with little kids anymore. This was some one who was determined to win, and not a push over. When it came down to it, he knew Eloise to do what ever it took to get what she wanted. He remembered when he and Maria were dating, how she wanted to break the two up. When she couldn't talk either of them into it, she hired two hookers to go stay at his place and act like he was their regular costumer when he brought Maria home with him one night. There was no doubt in his mind that she would go down to the same disgusting level to win Gabrielle. "The minute she plays dirty, there'll be hell to pay. She'll have to learn that water doesn't play well with fire," he said to himself.

Cuddy walked up to the door and knocked. "Gabrielle?" she asked.

Gabrielle sat on the couch as she looked through one of her books from school. "Come in!" she said without looking up.

Cuddy slowly opened the door and entered the room. Gabrielle just looked up and saw as Cuddy walked over and sat before her on the couch. Without saying anything, Cuddy leaned over and hugged Gabrielle.

Gabrielle just sat there for a second and then hugged back. "I, missed you to Cuddy," she said.

Cuddy sat back and watched her for a minute. "Did she hurt you? Badly?" Cuddy asked.

Gabrielle's mouth hung open as she looked down in realization. "Oh," she said. "You saw that." Gabrielle sighed as she looked up. "No, but that was only because I was fast and alert. I had started learning when to avoid her and when to leave the room and when to not talk and all of that. I guess you can say that's when I started observing things closely."

Cuddy just sat there for a second. There was a question that she was wanting badly to ask, but she didn't know if she should. She wanted to know why. She wanted to know why she was there in the first place, why her mother would willingly let some one do that to their child. "Why?" she asked. It was all that she could say at the moment.

"Was I there?" Gabrielle asked trying to finish Cuddy's question for her. She knew that she would be getting a lot of questions, it was just becoming harder and harder for her to answer them. All of this was going back to a part of her life that she would just rather forget and let go of. Her eyes fell down to the floor as she lowered her head. Everything that she had tried to shove out of her head, was all beginning to come to her, not that she really had that easy of a time forgetting it in the first place, but it had been a while. Her bright blue eyes focused up on Cuddy as she kept her head down. "What I am about to tell you, I am going to ask that you do not tell Daddy," she said.

There was a seriousness in her voice that struck Cuddy. She simply just nodded in response.

Gabrielle watched her for a second and then reached down and grabbed the blue book that she had been carrying around with her. She gently laid it down before her and opened it to the first page.

Cuddy looked down and stared with interest. On the page, there was a picture of a very young Gabrielle with Maria and two others. There was a man standing next to Maria, and in his arms a little baby.

"That used to be my family," Gabrielle emotionlessly stated.

Cuddy slowly looked up at her. "What happened?" she softly asked.

**I hope you liked it, I tried really hard to write a good update for my bday today :)**


	38. Gabrielle's Past part 2

Chapter 38: Gabrielle's Past (part 2)

"What happened?" Cuddy asked.

Gabrielle sighed. Her ice blue eyes were focused on the picture before her as every image went through her head. "When I was about four, my mother met this one guy, his name was Charlie Kaufman. They dated for a while," Gabrielle said and then shrugged. Her eyes were still focused on the picture as she seemed to be deciding how she felt. "I mean, he was nice in all, but he was taking my mommy away from me, and that was just not good."

Cuddy slightly cracked a smile. "are you going to have hard feelings towards me to?" she asked.

Gabrielle brought her eyes up from the picture and laughed. "Would you like that?" she asked and then sat back and sighed. Taking the book in her hands, she turned the page and saw the wedding photo. "Anyways, they got married," she said. There was a tone to her voice, a bitterness that started showing through. "That, that was when little Jake came along." Gabrielle stopped for a minute and then sighed. "He was like a baby doll to me," she said and then looked up. "I might have traumatized him, I kept trying to put my bows on him. I wanted a baby sister, so I made him my baby sister and called him Jane."

Cuddy couldn't help but laugh as she heard the story. "Now if I have a boy, you're not going to try and change that to are you?" Cuddy asked.

Gabrielle looked up and straightened her face. "Maybe…" she said. "It all depends on what mood I'm in at the time. "I'm bipolar, it could go either way," Gabrielle said.

"Nice to know," Cuddy said.

"Anyways, I grew out of that, but he was only with us for a couple of years," Gabrielle said and then went back to looking down at the book.

Cuddy leaned in closer. She felt a sudden chill down her back. There were many thoughts of what could have happened going through her mind. "Did he…?" she started, but did not want to finish.

Gabrielle looked up, her fist was clenched over the side of the couch. "No, he's still alive today, but he and his dad just aren't with us. My aunt Eloise also liked him, and also had it stuck in the back of her head that I should be staying with her so that I could learn how to be a true lady. " Gabrielle looked up into Cuddy's eyes. She slightly cringed as she thought about what had happened. "She started coming onto Charlie. I remember one Thanksgiving, I walked into the kitchen where Aunt Eloise was supposedly getting the food, and I saw Charlie go in there to get something to drink. Well, instead I found Charlie trying to push Eloise back as she had him pinned to the cabinet while she tried her hardest to kiss him."

There was a moment of silence as Cuddy stared at her. She could tell how bitter Gabrielle was towards what had happened. "Did you know what was going on at the time?" Cuddy asked. It was evident that a little kid would be confused, but then again, who couldn't tell that there was something wrong with the picture before them? "I know you probably didn't know exactly, but what did you do?" she asked.

"I stood there, Eloise turned around and threatened me to not tell my mom, and Charlie got mad and hit her for threatening a little girl. Of course, being Eloise, she had to cause her little scene," Gabrielle shook her head. "She yelled, and she screamed, and my mom caught on to what had happened." There was a big gap in her memory after that night. The most that she could remember was that she knew that Charlie and Jake were still with them for Christmas and New Years, it was after that she wasn't sure about.

"But anyways, my mother knew what Eloise was trying to do, well, she knew that Eloise wanted Charlie. The only problem was that Charlie couldn't put up with what was going on, so he took Jake and left one night. All he did was leave a letter that I found my mom reading the next day," Gabrielle said. Trying to keep herself from crying, she got up and walked over to the desk. She kept her back to Cuddy, who she knew was watching and waiting for her to go on, and took a few drinks from her water bottle. As soon as she knew she was ready, she slowly turned to her and leaned back against the desk. "Next to her on the table was a bottle of Gin, and I saw that stupid bottle there every time I saw her after that, until finally my grandparents stepped in. They took in Maria and Eloise was told to take me in, and that's when I was staying with her." Gabrielle looked down for a minute and wiped her nose on the back of her hand when she finally looked up. Her face was red, but there were no tears, yet.

"I'm sorry," Cuddy said. She herself was actually a little surprised that Gabrielle had told her all of that.

"Just remember, you're the only one who knows this. I don't know how dad would react if he knew that Maria had gotten married after she left him," Gabrielle said.

Cuddy agreed with that, but she also had the feeling that he was going to find out sooner or later, whether he wanted to or not. "I will," she said and then got up and walked over to the door. She was about to open the door, but stopped. "You worried?" Cuddy asked. She slowly turned to Gabrielle as her hand dropped from the doorknob. There was a sympathetic look that was truly sincere.

Gabrielle looked over. "Not really, I'm stubborn, my dad's stubborn, you're stubborn. Eloise is stubborn, but she's stupid. Her stupidity gives me relief," Gabrielle said. "But, there is a possibility that either I or my dad will mess things up, but I don't think that you'll let that happen." Gabrielle shrugged and then stood up and walked over to the couch and sat back down.

"I think I should tell you, your father wants to punish Eloise now," she said.

"Really?" Gabrielle asked. For a minute she felt extremely happy and loved, but quickly passed. "You better go watch him," she said as her smile faded.

"Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow. Good night," she said.

"Night Cuddy, and thank you," Gabrielle said.

Cuddy smiled back at her and then left the room closing the door behind her. She could see that House was already in bed and went to join him. "Hey," she said as she walked in and sat down next to him on the bed.

House was already laying in bed getting ready to sleep. He turned over and sat up. "You sound turned on. It's either something I did, or you just love that tired look."

Cuddy gave him a small smile. "What do you want? A little boy or a little girl?" she asked. She positioned herself so that she could lay down and prop her head up on her hand.

"Ah," he said as he pointed at her. "You saw the video, felt protective over Gabrielle. You went and talked to her, had some sort of touching moment and now you're feeling maternal," he said.

"Do you have to analyze everything I do?" she asked as she leaned over him.

"Now someone's horny," he said. "But I don't want to ruin that," he said. House sat up and kissed her.

Cuddy returned the kiss and then slowly backed away. Her eyes fluttered, and her smile was still there. "You never answered my question," she said. Watching him, she decided to tell him what she wanted. "It really doesn't matter to me whether it's a little boy or a little girl, but we do already have two girls here. I think I would like to a little boy," she said and then kissed him. "It might be cute to see a miniature you walking around."

House had thought about that, and he had also thought about what it would be like to have a little her running around. "Why should it matter?" he asked.

Cuddy started to look offended. "You don't care?" she asked.

House shrugged. "It's your's isn't it?" he asked.

Cuddy sat back and stared. His blue eyes were completely sincere, something that she was not expecting. Normally, she would have thought she was going to get some sort of joke, but, there was none. "Really?" she asked. Her small smile came back.

"Sure, even if it's a puppy," he said.

"A puppy?" she asked. There was certainly something interesting with that response.

"Yeah, why not? It doesn't cry as much and they're not always that hard to train," he looked over and saw her watching him. "Of course, the baby would be better."

Cuddy smiled and went to kiss him again, except this time was very brief.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Cuddy's eyes just widened. As quickly as she could, she shot up from the bed and ran over to the bathroom.

"Baby's jealous huh?" he asked. He could hear her puke and cringed a little, "I'll take that as a yes."

"Not now Greg!" she called from the bathroom.

House sighed and laid back. "At least she did this before she started something she couldn't finish," he said and then closed his eyes.


	39. Blackmail, Red Blood

Chapter 39: Blackmail, Red Blood

Eloise sat in her hotel room. She had heard everything that was going on with the trial, and was hearing that she had a very little chance of winning custody. That of course, was why she had lawyer, to dig through Cuddy's past. She was prepared to deal with House, but ever since she had heard about the change in plans, she had started over with her snooping. Cuddy, being Cuddy, was a little harder to find things on, but to her, that meant nothing. She only paid him to look harder.

It was the day before their first day in court that he had brought something of value to her. She had everything that she needed written down on the paper before her and folded it to fit into an envelope. Today was the day that she was going to show them how hard of a fighter she truly was.

*****************************

Cuddy sat behind her desk, not really working, more or less acting busy. She had just gotten back from lunch, and for some reason had a hard time focusing on anything. It made her jump when Gabrielle walked in.

"Hey there," Gabrielle said. She walked over and sat down. It seemed as if she hadn't a care in the world.

"Need something?" Cuddy asked.

Gabrielle just raised her eyebrows and shook her head. "Nope," she responded. She stood up and started towards Cuddy's desk. It was easy to tell that she wasn't doing anything at the moment, or at least anything important. "Not that I know of at the moment," Gabrielle said as she leaned down on the desk.

"Shouldn't you be with your father?" Cuddy asked. She was now leaning back in her chair.

Gabrielle shrugged. "Funny story about that, he kicked me out," she admitted.

"Oh God," Cuddy said as she sighed and looked off to the right.

Gabrielle stood up. "I sorta drew on his whiteboard."

Cuddy looked to her with confusion. "That might irritate him, but…"

Gabrielle laughed. "Well, yeah, but I drew a stick figure with a cane making out with a vicodin bottle." The room was silent for a moment as Gabrielle thought. "Personally, I thought it was funny." Giving Cuddy a half smile, she went back to leaning on the desk.

Cuddy just sat there and stared at her. "Don't you think that you should start showing him some respect?" she asked as she grabbed a pile of papers and started looking through them. "I mean, he is your father, and he is doing a lot for you right now."

"True," Gabrielle trailed off as she stood up and walked to the couch and sat down. This action alone told Cuddy that this was going to take a while. "But, he got to my picture of Edward Cullen, and wrote on the back of it," she explained. Her face quickly dropped and she sighed.

"Who's Edward Cullen? Some boyfriend?" Cuddy asked.

Gabrielle stood up and dug into her pocket. She pulled out a small picture that she kept in her wallet and took it over to Cuddy. "This here, is one of the hottest men alive, Edward Cullen, he's the vampire from Twilight." Cuddy took the picture and looked at it for a moment. "Turn it around and read it," her voice quickly changed from happy to annoyed.

Cuddy turned over the picture and read aloud, "Why is Edward Cullen so pale? Because there's no sunlight in the closet." She reread it again and then handed it back to Gabrielle. "What did you do to make him do that?" Cuddy knew that there had to be more behind this. Even if she knew that she was going to regret it, she asked.

"Well," Gabrielle hesitated. She then cracked a small smile. "You remember when you sent me into the bedroom to grab some clothes for Rachel, and that they were in the dresser?" she asked.

"Yes," Cuddy answered.

"Well, I opened the wrong door and found my dad's stuff," Gabrielle stated.

"And you kept going through his things?" Cuddy asked. That in itself was a bad idea.

"I found one of his magazines," Gabrielle said as she hinted at what kind of magazine she found.

"So you threw it out?" Cuddy asked.

"Not exactly," Gabrielle said as she turned her head over her shoulder. "I went through with a permanent marker and drew clothes on the women and then laid the magazine out on his side of the bed."

Cuddy just sighed. Part of her was thankful that Gabrielle had ruined the magazine, but she didn't like the fact that she had gone through her father's things. "Well, you two are going to have to start learning how to live with each other," she said.

Gabrielle just stared for a minute. "We already know how to live with each other," she said.

"Then get along," Cuddy said. "I feel like I'm watching two kindergarteners when I'm with you two sometimes."

"Not everyone expresses love the same way," Gabrielle said. "Besides, look at who you're living with. I don't think we were meant to act all lovey dovey with each other. We can obviously handle each other's insults and easily have a come back ready," she walked around the room a little bit. "Anyways, we are both having fun, and in our own morbid way, we're bonding."

"Bonding?" Cuddy laughed. "How? By wrecking each other's things?"

"No, by getting into each other's things. Daddy now knows I like vampires, and I now know that he likes naked women," Gabrielle briefly explained.

Cuddy didn't know what to say to that. She simply nodded and then scooted closer to her desk and started to read over a sheet of paper.

Gabrielle just sighed and slowly walked back to the couch and sat there as she began to play with her phone.

House walked to the door and entered the room. Both looked up and watched him. There was something in his eyes that made then concerned. "Gabrielle, Eloise wants to speak with Cuddy and I alone," he said. There was no emotion in his voice.

"Okay," Gabrielle said and then stood up. She couldn't argue, not with something that serious. Making her way to the door, she stopped and looked back at House standing before Cuddy's desk as she stared up to him with confusion. "Please don't start keeping secrets from me, that's the only thing that I ask," she softly requested and then left the room. Slowly closing the door, she kept her head down.

"Not even a simply hello?"

Gabrielle looked up and saw Eloise standing there. "Go die somewhere," she hissed as she sped passed her.

"That little brat," Eloise muttered and then headed into the room. Both House and Cuddy quickly turned their attention over to the door. "I think that I would like to talk to Miss Lisa Cuddy alone please," she stated.

"Okay," House said. He walked towards her and stopped. "If you exceed five minutes I'm coming back in with a bucket of water to melt you," he said.

"Gregory, you really don't change do you?" she asked and then continued her way to talk to Cuddy.

House watched for a second and then left the room. He to was curious as to what she was going to do. Instead of turning back though, he went and sat down beside Gabrielle. She was sitting on the ground near Cuddy's door. He thought that was a good idea, he himself knew that he was going to enter the room as soon as he possibly could. "I got kicked out to," House said.

"No," Gabrielle said as she stared straight forward. "You left," her blank face slowly turned to him and looked up. "I can't see you listening to some one that easily. Especially her."

"So what? I don't wanna deal with that bitch you call an Aunt," he said. "I figured that if I left I had a better chance of getting what I wanted," he said.

"What's that?" Gabrielle asked.

"Come on, you know that she wants me to argue with her. She wants to show us what she can do and how stubborn she is. Cuddy will simply try to rush things along, so if I'm not there, she won't have any one to try and impress," he looked straight forward and sighed. "That way the old hag leaves sooner and even a little pissy."

"Wonderful," Gabrielle said. She then looked back into the office. "There's just one problem with that," she said.

"Yeah? What's that?" he asked.

"Wait for it," she said.

It was a few seconds later that Cuddy stormed through the door and hurried to the elevator. Both Gabrielle and House stood up as quickly as they could. "You go after her and I'll deal with mistress Mary quite contrary in there," she said.

"You sure about that?" House asked.

Gabrielle smiled at him in a matter-of-factly style. "I say or do something wrong, we're okay, you say or do something wrong, it hurts me," she said and then walked into the room. She closed the door behind her and leaned against it. Eloise still had her back to her, she figured that she could wait a minute and gather what she could say.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" Eloise asked as she turned around. There was a smug little smirk on her face that Gabrielle wanted to smack. Her blonde hair was pulled back in that tight little bun that she hated. Right now Gabrielle had the urge to grab a pair of scissors and just cut it off.

"What did you do?" Gabrielle asked trying to stay calm as she walked to the middle of the room. The more that she saw Eloise, the harder it was for her to keep calm in her presence. Now, even just hearing her name made her tense up.

Eloise's smile suddenly grew bigger. "I found something, I didn't think I could, but I found something. It was about twenty to twenty five years ago that that lady was almost put in jail." Eloise sighed and then walked over closer towards Gabrielle. "I told her that if she goes through with this, I can easily get her arrested, then you can come live with me." Her voice was low and ominous as she crept closer and closer to Gabrielle. She finally stopped once she was a yard away.

Gabrielle stood there and stared at Eloise with fury in her eyes. Anger had over come her and rushed through her veins. She had no idea of what Eloise had found, but it didn't really matter. What bothered her was the fact that she found something, and that she knew that it probably wasn't anything that big of a deal. "How could you?" she quietly asked as her fists clenched. What was beginning to bother her more and more, was the guilt that she was starting to feel. The two people fighting her battles were going to get in trouble, and all because of her.

"All is fair in love and war," Eloise calmly stated.

Gabrielle just shook her head. Hot tears of frustration started to roll down her cheeks. "Why?" she asked containing herself. "Why do you want me anyways?" her voice was steadily raising with anger. "I'm everything you hate! You can't even tolerate me for a few minutes let alone a few years!" she yelled out in attempt to somehow, yet again, change Eloise's mind.

Eloise just watched as the young girl stepped closer to her. There was no way that she could be talked out of this, but she did have an interest in how she was going to try.

"You listen to classical music, watch ballet, look at museums! I listen to what ever I feel like at the moment, the only time I dance is in a group and I draw pictures! Not look at them! But you can't be happy or even stand to be with me unless I do the same things you like exactly the way you like them!" she yelled. "You want another you!" she said. "And that's never going to happen," Gabrielle was starting to calm herself down.

"I'm only trying to fix you," Eloise stated.

That threw Gabrielle over the edge. "I'm not perfect! Neither are you! And neither of us will ever be perfect! I only truly do good in a few subjects at school! I do good in math, science, religion, and art! The rest I find smart people to sit by! When I turned fourteen I got drunk for my first time with my friends and went out and got a tattoo on my butt! I'm a know it all! I'm not perfect and you can't change me! So unless you are ready to except me, don't you dare tell me that you care about me! Hell, I doubt you can even look at me after what you've just heard!" Gabrielle sighed and looked down. "I don't even care what you think about me. You're not worth it, and your thoughts or opinions are never going to change anything in this world." She simply turned head back to Eloise and started walking with her head down to the ground.

"Maybe it's a good thing that Maria died before she could corrupt you even more," Eloise said.

Gabrielle froze. Her head slowly rose up as her eyes widened. "How dare you," she gasped and then quickly turned. Without warning, she hurried over and slapped Eloise across the face. "You bitch," she hissed through her teeth, "I hope you fucking burn in hell."

"With the way you're going, I wouldn't be surprised if I saw you there," Eloise said.

"Just knowing that everything I did to lead up to getting there bothered you would make me the happiest person in the history of the world," Gabrielle smirked.

Eloise looked down and studied her eyes. "Don't say that when you're bluffing. You couldn't cheat, and I know that you would never agree to drink or have a needle stuck in you," she responded.

"Really?" Gabrielle asked. She stepped back and smugly smiled. "Well, as soon as I show you the rose tattooed on my ass, you can kiss it."

Eloise gave her a look of disgust and started to walk out of the room.

"Hey, before you go, I want you to know something," Gabrielle said. She turned and looked up to her with a seriousness in her eyes and no attempt to ridicule.

"Okay," Eloise said with a feel of impatience.

"If Daddy and Cuddy get me, you'll know where I am, and if you win, I'll run away and you'll never find me. I just thought that I would tell you that, just in case that there's a small chance that you might give a damn about me," Gabrielle said and then walked past her and left the room.

********************************************

Cuddy sat in the corner of House's office while House sat at his desk. He watched her as she read the paper in her hands over and over again. He watched as each one of her teardrops fell onto the paper and left a wet spot. "You still haven't told me what that paper says," he said.

"It doesn't matter, you'll find out about it sooner or later," she said. Her eyes were still focused on the paper before her.

"Yeah, and it'll sound much better there," he remarked.

Cuddy looked up and glared at him. "Did it ever occur to you that maybe I need some time before I talk to anyone about this?" she snapped.

"Come on already! What ever it is, can't be that bad!" he said raising his voice. He knew that there was something important written in those papers about a crime she had committed and knew that he should know. Her keeping this from him was starting to annoy him and he wanted answers. "I mean what did you do? Kill someone?" he sarcastically asked as he walked over.

"You're an ass, you know that? You really truly are," Cuddy stated with tears in her eyes.

"Oh my God," he said as his face softened.

Cuddy stood up and sighed. She walked over to the door and turned to him as wiped her face. "Let's just say that if I would have been a little more responsible, they wouldn't have died that night," she said and then left.

"Wait!" House called out. He headed for the door and watched her walked towards the elevator. "You can't tell me something like that and then leave!" he called out, but it was no use. She was ignoring him.

**Okay, two things, first, I had a hard time with House in this chapter, so he might be OOC. And second, I just wanted to wish everyone a happy Halloween!**

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and please review!**


	40. Damaged

Chapter 40: Damaged

Cuddy stood on the elevator as she stared down at the paper. The one night that she had hated most, the night that she had wished she could erase, was now being thrown into her face. She had thought that she had gotten over it, but this proved her wrong. She had thought that she had gotten over the whole thing, but the truth was that she had just been ignoring it for some time now.

The elevator came to a stop and Cuddy gave one final attempt to clean her face as the doors slid open. As soon as the doors separated, she saw Gabrielle standing there.

"Cuddy, we need to talk," Gabrielle stated.

Cuddy didn't want to talk to anyone, but she knew that Gabrielle wouldn't let it go. "Fine," Cuddy said as she stepped off the elevator and started walking back down towards her office.

Gabrielle followed her and tried to figure out what Eloise could have found. It didn't really matter at the moment though, at least not to her. She entered the office and sat down before the desk. There was a silence that seemed to be filled with guilt and bitterness. "Look," Gabrielle started.

"Please, just make this quick," Cuddy pleaded as she looked up.

"Okay," Gabrielle nodded. "I don't think that you should go through with this trial anymore and I think I can find a way to run away from Eloise, so I should be fine," Gabrielle said and then got up and started to leave.

Cuddy stared to her with shock. "Gabrielle," she said as she stood up. She got Gabrielle to stop and turn to her. "What are you saying?" she asked and she walked around to the front of her desk.

"Eloise told me what she was doing, and I can't ask anyone to risk everything like that. It's just too much. If she pulls that, and you end up in jail, you lose Rachel, your job, everything. Then my dad loses his job because we all know that you're the only one who would put up with him, and he'd end up in jail over God knows what because we all know that he has done enough to get there," she stopped for a minute and looked off towards the side. "I just can't do it," Gabrielle said.

"And losing you would mean nothing to either of us?" Cuddy asked.

Gabrielle looked her straight in the eyes. "Trust me, I'm not worth it. I can make it on my own. I have dealt with that woman before, and I can do it again."

"You can't possibly think that," Cuddy said. She was taken aback, those were the last words that she had expected to come out of Gabrielle's mouth, or at least the last ones that she had wanted to hear.

"It's true. I've been alive for fifteen years! And I didn't meet either of you until a couple months ago. Both of you survived until then and the both of you will survive after this," Gabrielle said.

Cuddy sighed and started to slowly walk to the window. With her arms folded, she looked down and shook her head. "You don't even understand what you are saying." Cuddy slightly turned and looked over her shoulder. "You're belittling yourself down to nothing. It's like you want me to say that I give up, you want me to tell you that no one cares about you."

"I just want you to understand that I don't need you to risk important things on me. I couldn't live with you and Daddy knowing that I ruined something or that either of you had to pay for this," Gabrielle explained. Her eyes started to water, but she wasn't sure why.

"What if your mother was in this position? Would you have told her all of this? Would you have wanted her to give up?," Cuddy asked.

"When would I ever had to of worried about that?" Gabrielle laughed. "My mother couldn't put a bottle down to keep me let alone do something like this," she stated.

Cuddy's face dropped as she completely turned to face Gabrielle. "What about your grandparents?" Cuddy asked with concern.

"They gave us money. That was all they ever did, give us things," Gabrielle said. She shrugged, "I don't remember much of anything else about them."

"And your mother was the most important person in your life," she said to herself.

"Yeah, that was it," Gabrielle answered. She sighed and started to go for the door again.

"Before you go and before you just give up, I want to give you something to think about," Cuddy said.

"Yeah?" Gabrielle said as she stopped before the door. "What's that?"

"When I finished watching that video of you and your aunt, I saw your dad standing behind me. He looked angry, and ready to kill her because of what he had saw her do to you," Cuddy explained. She looked down and unfolded her arms so that she could lean against her desk.

Gabrielle looked up and bit her lip. She wasn't even aware of the fact that her dad had even seen the video.

"You said that you weren't worth it? Try telling that to him," Cuddy said.

Gabrielle turned her head to look over at her. That was what had hit her, the fact that some one had even felt that way. "Really?" she asked.

Cuddy just nodded. "Go ask him about it if you don't believe me," she said.

"I believe you," Gabrielle said in deep thought.

"You still think that we should let you go live with Eloise?" Cuddy asked.

Gabrielle shrugged as she looked up to her. "I don't know. What did Eloise find?" she asked.

"Accidental murder," she blankly answered.

"Yeah?" Gabrielle asked. She stood back from the door. This was something that she did not expect to hear from her. "How does that happen?"

"That happens when a fight between you and your boyfriend stretches to involve innocent people," she said and then went back around her desk and sat down.

Gabrielle stood there and waited for a moment. She knew that Cuddy didn't want to talk about it, but it was going to come up sooner or later. "You know that there is no way that I can pass judgment," she said.

Cuddy looked up and sighed. "Just, wait, I promised House that he would hear it to, and I would really like if I can keep confession time down to a minimal," she said.

"Okay," Gabrielle said. She turned and left the room.

House stood before his whiteboard as he carefully looked over all the symptoms that were written. Gabrielle quietly walked in and saw the group still sitting at the table. She went pretty much unnoticed until she fully stepped into the room and stood behind her dad. She could see that she wasn't going to get his attention anytime soon.

"I think you have someone that wants to see you," Taub said.

House turned and looked down. "Don't draw on this anymore, I have things I need to keep," he warned.

Without any words, the young girl wrapped her arms around him and hugged him for a minute. Once she pulled away, she smiled at him and then turned and walked out of the room.

House then just looked at her for a moment and watched her leave. "Okay," he said trying to figure out what had just happened. "Back to our patient," he said and then went back to his whiteboard.

"Aren't you going to ask her why she did that?" Thirteen asked.

"Nope," House said. He was still focusing his main attention to the symptoms. He then turned and faced her. "She's fifteen, kids her age do lots of strange things. I wouldn't be surprised if she came in here again in two minutes bawling her eyes out," he said.

"I thought you liked puzzles," Foreman said.

"That right there was not a puzzle," he explained. Limping over to the table, he leaned his cane against the chair. "That, was a teenager acting upon hormones running all through her body. One minute she'll love her daddy, the next, she'll despise me," he stated. "Besides, she likes to think that she's leaving a bit of a mystery. Why not let her have it?" he asked.

"Sounds like some one gave up on trying to figure her out," Foreman said.

"Right, my own daughter who seems to take a bit after me is a complete stranger to me," House responded.

"Please, even you can't have an entire life figured out in a couple months," Thirteen said.

"House sighed. "Okay, lets sit here and discuss my home life," he said as he sat down. He then looked down at his watch. "Whoops, almost forgot," he said and then looked up. "Someone's dying."

Everyone sat there and rolled their eyes. "I think some one should go find out what is causing his seizers. Get him to an MRI and check for any tumors." House stood up and grabbed his cane. "I should be back by the time you're all done with what ever it is that you need to do," he said and then walked out through his back door.

House walked into Wilson's office. Wilson looked up and stared at him. "Hey," he said. "WHat do you need?"

House walked around and plopped down onto the couch. "I was looking for my kid, but I guess she isn't here," he said.

Wilson sighed and looked up. "Okay, what did you really want?" he asked.

House looked up. "The team's bothering me. Needed to get away from their annoying questions," he said.

"What? Were they questioning your intelligence?" Wilson asked. "Cus God knows we don't want to go there," he sarcastically remarked.

"They were accusing me of giving up on trying to figure me daughter out," he said and then sat up.

Wilson paused and looked over at him with interest. "That's true isn't it?" he asked.

"To you maybe," House said.

Wilson stood up and walked over to him and sat down on the couch beside him. "Are you afraid that if you get to know her, that you'll have to deal with your own life?" he asked.

House just rolled his eyes. "Yeah, because I'm afraid that if I ask her what her favorite color is that I might have to open up about mine, and that's just too embarrassing."

Wilson smiled and sat back. "She reminds you of you, and that scares you," he said. "You're scared to face anything that would make you open up about your life and realize what is wrong with it," he explained.

"And what exactly are you trying to tell me about Gabrielle?" he asked.

"House, I heard about it, I know how she was mistreated by her aunt, I know that her mother died. She's a lonely girl, who doesn't trust many people and tries to keep from showing any vulnerability," Wilson said. He then turned and looked House in the eyes. "If you start asking her questions, you know that she'll ask you," he said. "You're just afraid that if you point out any faults in her that you'll have to finally see your own," he said.

House slowly turned his head and looked down to the ground. "Sure," he said as he stood up. "While you sit here and analyze my childhood, I'm going to be next door punishing my team with my insecurities," he said and then left.


	41. Guilt

Chapter 41: Guilt

House and Gabrielle both sat at the kitchen table as they watched Cuddy walk Rachel back and forth. They could see the stressful look on her face. "I'll take the baby, and you talk to her," Gabrielle said as she leaned towards House.

"You don't wanna hear this?" he questionably looked to her.

"I can't still be here?" Gabrielle asked. She looked up at him and raised her eyebrows.

House looked down to her. "Well, not if the kids crying," he answered.

Gabrielle sighed while she rolled her eyes. "Fine," she said and then turned her attention back towards Cuddy. "Tell me later?" she asked.

"Give me my pills back?" he asked.

"How did you know that I had them?" she asked.

"Why did you only take one bottle and not the rest?" he asked.

Gabrielle slowly turned back to him. Her eyes were wide with surprise. "Druggie," she said. "How many do you have?"

"That is for me to know and you to keep your grimy little hands off of," he said.

Gabrielle sighed and stood up. "I'm gonna go get Rachel now, hopefully Cuddy will start talking," she said. Gabrielle went and walked to the dark, quiet room up front. Cuddy stood there with the small baby in her arms as she whispered things incoherent to Gabrielle. "I'll take her if you want a break," she said.

"I'm fine. I don't need a break," Cuddy said. There was something in her voice, almost a nervousness.

Gabrielle shrugged. "I don't know. No one needs an expensive vacation, yet lots of people take them." The young girl sat down on the couch and awaited her reply. There was a very small chance of getting Cuddy to talk, but everything had to be done right. Cuddy questionably looked over at her as if asking her point. "I mean, every Christmas my grandparents gave my mom and I tickets somewhere. I love them for that," she said.

"You can't base love off of gifts," Cuddy stated.

"What if it's all you have to go off of?" Gabrielle asked.

Cuddy sighed and went to join Gabrielle. She carefully handed Rachel over. Cuddy just sat there for a minute as she blankly stared. Every thought about earlier was going through her head. Guilt was beginning to build up, she could either lose her job or both House and Gabrielle. Nothing was going to be easy, but just like every other time, she was sure that this would finally bring her and House a bit closer. Misery and bad events was what brought them together.

"How many of my imperfections must I admit before you admit one?" Gabrielle asked.

Cuddy sighed at the pleading girl before her. "Those weren't your imperfections, those were other people's," Cuddy stated.

"Well I can't see you committing murder, so there must be something wrong there to," Gabrielle replied. After briefly closing her eyes, she looked off to the side and pursed her lips. "I might not own the imperfections, and they may not have anything to do with my own actions, but they still occurred in my life." Her cold eyes were staring straight in Cuddy's. "How much more do I need to say?"

"Please don't do this," Cuddy nearly begged. It was obvious to her that everyone there had their own problems, but this was different, or at least, she felt it was different.

"Want me to tell you about the time that I ran away and no one looked for me?" Gabrielle asked. "It was around the time that my mom was drinking. She was too drunk to care and my grandparents were too busy with her. Meanwhile Auntie dearest is too mad at me to care." Gabrielle had gotten herself somewhat worked up while she was talking and finally stepped back to calm down.

"That can't be true," Cuddy replied.

"Why? You wouldn't run away from home if you were living with Eloise? If my drunk mom would have cared enough about me, she might have pried the bottle out of her hands for a moment to call, but that wasn't going to ever happen. My grandparents probably would have just given me money. They're really good at that," she answered.

Cuddy had no idea what to even say to a response like that.

"And that's why you can't lose. No one can claim murder on you if you couldn't even bare to do that. It's just impossible," Gabrielle said.

Cuddy couldn't take it anymore. "Okay then." Cuddy reluctantly stood up and motioned towards the kitchen. "Bring Rachel and follow me. Your father wants to hear this to."

Gabrielle got up and followed her into the kitchen where she took her former seat, the one next to House.

Cuddy sat there for a minute and thought. Her eyes were some what glazed over as she blankly stared down at the table before her. "It was when I was still in college," she said. Her eyes were still down, but she slightly lifted her head. "I was dating this one guy, and I loved him, and thought he loved me." She finally looked at the two before her. Each of them were carefully listening to her. Gabrielle was looking to her with concern as House with eagerness. Her own eyes were beginning to rim with unshed tears. "I was babysitting one night," she started. Her voice was uneasy and hesitant. It was getting harder and harder for her to talk. "And he came over. I had turned him down on his offer to sleep together, so he was mad at me."

Gabrielle just began to shake her head in disbelief. That was when she saw House in the corner of her eye. His fist was tightly clenching and she could see him tensing up. She knew that beyond his smart ass remarks, and his cold behavior towards most, that he did care. The problem was getting him to let others know. It was almost like you had to earn the privilege to notice.

Cuddy bit her lip as she looked down and tried her best to gather her composure. "He come over to the house I was staying at and barged in." A tear fell from her eye and dripped onto the table. Cuddy slowly raised her head. "He wanted to rape me, but there was no way that I was about to let that happen, so I grabbed the gun that the little boy's dad had. I just wanted to scare him, I had no idea that it was loaded," she stated as steadily as she possibly could. "But I wasn't quite sure, so when I pulled the trigger, I wanted to make sure to shoot a little off to the side." She finally broke down, the breakdown that House and Gabrielle had been awaiting since she had started talking. "Kenny walked out of his room and into the living room. He stepped out, and the bullet hit him in the forehead." The guilt that she had felt over the past years had finally surfaced and came out. "I didn't mean to," she softly cried and then buried her head in her folded arms on the table.

Gabrielle looked down at Rachel who had been fussing. "I better go take care of this one." She slowly got up and carried the baby to the living room. Cuddy's crying was still audible where she was, and all it was doing was digging the guilt deeper into her. "Come on Rachel, let's go to sleep. Make this an easy night," she said.

The little baby in her arms stopped crying. "I thought I spoke kid well." Gabrielle softly ran her finger down Rachel's cheek and smiled. "What ever you do, just keep in mind that any problem you might ever face, we already had it, so don't worry," she quietly told her.

Rachel started to fuss again when she spotted Gabrielle's finger. Gabrielle just laughed and offered her finger. "If that's what makes you happy," she stated. Gabrielle didn't want to admit it, but it was getting harder for her to face House and Cuddy. She had already started to ruin Cuddy, and next would be House. "You're the only one that's still happy with me aren't you?" She tried her hardest to keep the smile on her face, but it was no use. "First my mom, and now them two," she paused for a moment as she stared down at Rachel. "Maybe I was meant to be punished. Maybe I should just go live with Eloise, tell my daddy to forget about me and focus on his chance to be happy. If Cuddy loses it she'll do something stupid and harm the baby somehow and they both would have lost their chances, and it would have been my fault, and I don't think I can live with that."

Gabrielle had finally noticed that Rachel had fallen asleep. "Just don't tell anyone what I told you, okay?" she slightly chuckled and then put her to bed.

House eventually got Cuddy to bed. Now they both just laid there in the dark room. He knew that she was going to be upset for a while about what had happened. He also knew that Eloise bringing it up against her wasn't going to help any. It was obvious to him what he had to do to help her, so he went ahead and did it. Moving his hand, he gently laid it over her stomach. "I still trust you."

Cuddy just looked over to him. "Who said that it was about trust?" she asked.

"It's all about trust. That's the card that Eloise decided to play. She's guilting you into thinking that you can't be trusted with kids so that you'll give up. If you don't trust yourself no one will trust you," he explained. "Haven't you ever seen The Exorcist?"

"How is that relevant to anything?" she asked.

"She puts a guilt trip on the priest so that he can't do his job right. Once he can't do his job right then other priest dies and he feels guiltier and that's what pushes him over the edge. He reacted by finally doing something right, Eloise is hoping you do the exact opposite and screw up big time," he explained. "But either way, she wants to push you over the edge."

Cuddy shook her head. "How does an atheist get anything from that movie?" she asked.

"It's more of a mental game than that possession crap they throw in there," he explained.

"But I understand what you're saying," she said. "Don't crack."

"You don't, you win. You crack, she wins," House stated.

"Nice to know," Cuddy noted. "Just hope I win."

"You will," House reassured.

Cuddy slightly smiled and then rested her hand on his. "I hope so." She looked over at House.

House looked back and saw the fear and nervousness in her eyes. "I'll make sure you do. I always get my way, remember?" he asked. He knew that that wasn't always going to be true, but she needed to hear something like that right now.

Cuddy softly laughed. She sat up and kissed him and then laid back down and tried to get the sleep that she needed.


	42. Overwhelming

Chapter 42: Overwhelming

House, Cuddy and Gabrielle walked into the courtroom. Each of them dragged their feet and wished they were else where.

House hated all of this already. He wanted to be with his daughter. He wasn't going to admit it to anyone, but she meant something to him, and he felt guilty about the way that her life had turned out. There was no way that he could sit back and let that continue on. This was his chance to really and truly save some one, and he hated to know that so much was getting in the way. Now he was beginning to hate himself for dragging Cuddy into this and having her get hurt.

Cuddy was nervous. There was no doubt that Eloise would use what ever she could, and Cuddy knew that if everything went well for Eloise, that she could end up in jail. How could she prove that some one tried to rape her? It was easy to prove that he had been there, but there was never going to be any proof of his intentions. Right now, she had the chance to quit, she still had the chance to just walk out and keep herself out of trouble, but along with that, she would lose two people. If she turned back now, she would never be able to look at herself.

Gabrielle was getting more and more nervous as the morning went on. If anything were said or done wrong, everything would be ruined. If it got to that point, she would never be able to face herself. The last thing that she ever wanted to do was to wreck someone else's life. What made everything worse, was that she was going to be the first one to be questioned.

Cuddy went up and sat down by David Winchester while House and Gabrielle sat down behind her. Gabrielle looked over and saw Eloise turn and smirk over at her. It made her even more uneasy then she had been. Her heart beat had risen, and she was able to feel it. Leaning back against the seat, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Not stressed are you?" House asked. He knew she was, but, how else would ask?

Gabrielle opened her eyes and looked to him without moving her head. "I'm fine, trust me," she answered.

"You realize that when someone says trust me, that means that you shouldn't trust them," he stated.

Gabrielle rolled her eyes and softly laughed. "Okay, is there something else you would rather me say?"

"I would rather you look like you have some confidence about this." He sighed and then stared straight forward. It wasn't going to be easy for him to look at Gabrielle if he knew how nervous and uncomfortable she was.

Everyone waited until the judge walked in and got everything out of the way. It was time for Gabrielle to take the stand.

"I call, Gabrielle Zbin," Winchester said.

Gabrielle stood up and gathered herself as she walked to the front and stood as she waited a moment. The bible was brought to her and she took her oath and said a breathy "I do," and finally sat down. The room was starting to spin a little, but she knew that as soon as she got this over with, she would feel better.

David Winchester was on her side, so his questions were easy. He had asked her about which place she liked better, who she would rather live with. It was all very easy, very quick stuff. His line of questions was all about where she wanted to be and why. She explained to him that she and Eloise do not get along and that she gets along with both House and Cuddy.

After he had asked his final question, he smiled at Gabrielle, and thanked her for her cooperation. Gabrielle just looked over at both House and Cuddy and smiled. Even if it wasn't much, she had managed to calm herself down a tiny bit. It was still easy for her to feel her own heart beat, but at least she could breathe a little easier.

"Jacob Conner, any questions?" the judge asked. His voice was stern and unfriendly, something that made Gabrielle jump every time she heard it. This only made her nervousness worse.

"Yes your honor," he answered as he stood up. There was something about him that automatically made Gabrielle dislike him. Of course, he was on Eloise's side, that right there meant that they were automatically enemies.

The man walked over and menacingly stood before her. It took him a minute to even ask a question, it was like he had to study her and look her over. "Would you say that Gregory House and Lisa Cuddy over there are your ideal parents?" he asked. The question was easy enough, but there was a certain undertone to his voice that gave away there was more to it then that.

"Yes I would," Gabrielle blankly answered. She looked over and slightly smiled at the two and then shifted her eyes to Eloise and slightly lowered her head and glared.

"Why?" he asked. It was obvious that he was looking for something, the only problem was that she didn't know what he was digging for.

"Because, they have the ability to treat me like a human being." She answered the same way that she had answered the first one, cold and emotionless. There was no other way that she could go on with out going overboard and losing it.

The man that was starting to think resembled a rat, started casually pacing. "So, Eloise doesn't treat you how you would like to be treated?" he paused and looked back to her.

Gabrielle rolled her eyes at the show he was trying to put on. "No, she doesn't," she snapped.

He walked closer as he lifted his brow in interest. "Well, then, why don't you tell us how she treats you?"

"Well," she started and then paused to take a breath. "She makes me do things that I hate and punishes me if I don't do them. She wants to make me into something that I am not. I'm sorry, but I'm not a dancer and I'm not sophisticated or elegant or any of that stuff, and I never will be. Cuddy can accept that and love me anyways, Eloise doesn't and won't love me no matter what." It was hard, but she kept herself under control.

"So, let me get this straight, you hate Eloise because she wanted to make you into a better person?" he asked and then turned back to Cuddy, "and you like her because she let you stay where you were in life?"

Gabrielle's breathing got more rapid, but it was still manageable. "I never said that," she nearly hissed. "I stated," she was cut off.

"Don't explain, just answer the questions." He held his hand up.

"Objection!" Winchester called out. "That last statement was completely biased."

"Very well," the judge sighed. "Conner, watch it. Remember, this is a trial, not your soapbox."

"Yes your honor. I'm sorry," he slightly bowed and then turned back to Gabrielle.

Gabrielle composed herself. Under the table, she was gripping tightly to her skirt. It was the only way to use up some of the stress.

"Okay then, tell us, isn't it true that Lisa Cuddy over there is expecting a baby with a man that she is living with, but not married to, while she has a baby and a hospital to run?" he asked.

"Yes," her voice was shaky, and growing more and more unstable by the second. The room was finally spinning and her head was beginning to hurt.

"And don't you think that you'll get neglected? Unlike Eloise over here who only works normal shifts and has the time and values for you?" he asked.

That was the question that got to her. The fact that anyone could say that that witch over there had any values what so ever ate at her. She quickly stood up and hit her fists on the table before her. "That's not true!" she yelled out. She took a second and tightly closed her eyes. "That will never be true!" her breathing was becoming audible to everyone in the room.

"Young lady! Sit back down! I will have none of you outbursts! You hear me?" the judge asked.

Cuddy looked back to House. "Do you see her up there?" she asked. "You think she's going to be okay?" House just shrugged in response and watched Gabrielle as she began to sway.

"I!" she yelled as the tears began to fall from her eyes. "I…!" she tried again as she tried to steady herself. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head, and her hands slipped. She fell to the ground.

Cuddy, without thinking, jumped up and ran over to her. House stood up and looked over and then walked towards the two. Cuddy knelt down on the ground as she gasped. "House, you might wanna see this," she said.

House limped over and stopped. "Blood, she hit her head on the chair." He carefully knelt down beside Cuddy and gently lifted his daughter's head to see how bad the damage was. "It's just a cut, it's not even bleeding anymore," he said to himself.

"Is she okay?" the judge asked as he looked over.

"Yeah," House plainly answered. "She just got herself worked up, which in turn made it harder for her to breathe, passing out is the body's way of rebooting itself. That way she can go back to breathing normally."

"I think it's time for a recess," the judge announced.

Cuddy sighed as she gently stroked the young girl's hair. "Let's get her to a hospital, get her some stitches, and let her rest for the night," she said.

"I told you, she's not bleeding anymore, it's not that wet back there. We don't even need to take her to get stitches." House said. He carefully picked her up and started to carry her.

"Be careful with your leg," Cuddy said.

"Don't worry about me," he said and then started to leave.

Cuddy stood up and grabbed his cane. She took her finger and started tracing over the handle.

"You know she's faking don't you?" Eloise was still seated in the same spot. Her arms were folded as if she were challenging her.

"Burn in hell already," Cuddy said right before hurrying to catch up with House.

Eloise pursed her lips and turned towards the judge. "Did you just hear what she said?"

"Did you see how she reacted and you just sat there?" he asked.

Eloise shrugged. "I know that she was faking," she said to herself.


	43. Stressful Night

Chapter 43: Stressful Night

Gabrielle lie on the couch in her room. She had been home for a couple hours, and she could smell something being cooked in the kitchen. The first thing when she got home, House and Cuddy were telling her to go lay down, to take it easy, to calm down. It was annoying, but at the same time, she knew that Eloise would have never been concerned for her.

She slowly sat up and looked around the darkened room. The only thing that she could hear were random mumbles coming from the kitchen. A part of her wanted to join them, but then again, she knew that her head was going to hurt as soon as she actually got up and started to walk around. "I think there's aspirin in the kitchen," she softly reminded herself.

***********

Cuddy sat at the table as House stood over by the stove and waited for the water to boil. "You know, we could have ordered take out," House said as he stared at the water.

"Just let me know when it boils so I can pour the noodles in," she said.

Neither one of the two were in the greatest of moods. Each of them were both just staring. "She'll be alright," House said.

"I don't know," Cuddy said. She sighed and leaned her head on her hand. "Maybe I should have kept my story a secret. Lied to her and told her that Eloise was just getting to me."

House rolled his eyes. "Great. Except for one thing….you would have given her a heart attack right then and there if anything was said."

Cuddy just shook her head and looked off towards the side. "All I know is that if this goes far enough, she might become one of your patients."

House shrugged. "I don't know, stress is something that I find boring to deal with. Now if she picks up something interesting while she's here." He reached over and grabbed the noodles off the table. "Then, she has a slight chance of becoming my patient."

"Two things wrong with what you said. First, that's your daughter, I don't think you should be talking about making any of her ailments more interesting," Cuddy briefly closed her eyes and then looked down towards the floor. "You treat everyone, including your daughter like some walking science experiment that you can't wait to dig into."

House turned his back to her and pour the noodles into the pot. "You act as if that surprises you, which is odd," he turned back to face her, "especially since you do know that this is all hypothetical." House just looked over and saw the worry written out all over her face. "You think something's going to go wrong don't you?"

"Considering that Gabrielle was right when she was telling me about everything that I can lose, I would say so," Cuddy answered.

"That's why I told you to just give up on it," Gabrielle said. Both House and Cuddy turned to her in surprise. She went over and stood by her father at the stove. "You both know what could happen. That's why I don't understand why you should keep going with this. It's not worth all it for someone you barely know."

"Oh stop it. No one wants to hear about you wallowing in your own self-pity," House snapped. There was a coldness to his tone, but not for the reasons that Gabrielle would have thought, it was more because he didn't want to hear about how it didn't matter to her, when it did matter to him. He made sure to keep his head down and focus his attention down on the stove.

Gabrielle looked up and slowly shook her head. "You don't get it do you? I'm letting you off the hook. I'm giving you the chance to forget about all of this and spare yourself something. You're about to get married, about to become a father again." Gabrielle leaned more towards his face to get his attention. "Who am I to walk in here and ruin all of that? I'll have my chance sometime, you take your's now."

House was starting to get irritated as he listened. Finally, he let it show. "Damn it Gabi!" he called out as she started to walk away.

"Greg!" Cuddy softly snapped as she gently grabbed his arm.

He closed his eyes as he kept his head down. "You think you're fixing everything by walking away from it." He lifted his head and studied her expression. "Well that's not how it works!"

"Running away!?" Gabrielle ironically laughed. "My problem is Eloise! If anything I'm facing it! Right now all I'm doing is having other's fight my battles for me and dragging you two down with me!" She just shook her head. "How is that so much better than just going to live with her?"

"Will you quit already? No one here wants to hear it. We know you have it bad. So stop acting like you're some kind of hero for giving up for us. You're just being stupid. Everyone knows you don't want to live with her, hell, people who just know her would be able to guess that you wouldn't want to live with her," House said.

"You know that both of you, not just her, are risking more than I have to lose?" Gabrielle asked. "Jobs, money, life, Rachel." She sighed. "A couple years where I have to live with Auntie dearest. That's it."

"And I lose my daughter. In case you don't remember, I was the one who asked Cuddy in the first place to get custody of you was because I knew that I didn't have a chance where she had a very good one. I was also the one who invited you to stay with me when you showed up at the hospital." House just stood there and watched her reaction. "You've been on your own for a while haven't you?"

Gabrielle looked down with shame in her eyes. "My mom developed a drinking problem when I was seven and I stayed with Eloise for a while. After that she tended to just kinda take care of me without really caring all the time." The young girl lifted her head back up and thought for a second. "Why does it matter?"

House just shook his head. "I can just tell by the way you're not comfortable with the idea of other's doing something for you."

"Okay then, what's you're story?" Gabrielle asked.

House just stood there for a minute. "I think you pretty much saw it already," he said and then left the room.

Gabrielle just turned to Cuddy with confusion. Cuddy looked over to see if House was gone and then lowered her voice. "He was abused by his father," she explained. "Just, don't let him know that I told you that. I think that's why he is having so much trouble with all of this."

Gabrielle's eyes widened with surprise. Her eyes wandered towards the direction that House had went. Now, things made more sense to her. "Where's the aspirin at? I have a killer headache," she tried to change the uncomfortable subject.

"Turn around," Cuddy said.

"Oh," Gabrielle reached over and grabbed the bottle. "Thanks." Gabrielle silently got herself some water and took the pills before going back to her room.


	44. Cuddy's Turn

Chapter 44: Cuddy's Turn

Gabrielle was in her same seat next to House in the courtroom. Everything seemed awkward, like something was wrong. With gut feelings being one of her strong points, this put her on alert. She sat there and looked around, nothing much different from the day before. There was still as much to lose and as much to gain. To her though, it still seemed there was everything to lose, and not that much for anyone else in the room to gain.

Right now in the front, Cuddy was just starting to answer her questions. She sat up there, a lot more composed than Gabrielle had been the previous day.

David walked passed her and stood there for a minute, as if he had to think upon what to ask her. He then swiftly turned to her and went to ask what he needed. "Lisa Cuddy," he started out. "Please start tell us what you do for a living."

Cuddy stared down to him for a second with an almost smile, as if in approval of the question, or relief since it was something easy to start with. "Well, I am the Dean of Medicine, I run Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital."

"So you make good money, enough to support a family, wouldn't you say so?" he asked.

"Yes," she stated. Her voice was steady, and blank. No expression was shown on her face, it was as if she didn't want to give anything away. She was afraid to show any emotion or elaborate on any answer, it was evident that if there was anything that could be used against her, it would.

"And Gregory House who will be living with you, makes a good amount of money to?" he asked.

"Yes," this answer apparently sufficed for all of his questions.

"But I should ask, why are you fighting for custody? Why not her father?" David asked.

Cuddy looked up and thought for a moment. This was not a question that had a simple answer, this one had to b thought out to keep him out of trouble. "Gregory House, is not what you call, within any reasoning, normal. He does his job, and gets into it, he likes puzzles, and gives everything he has and comes up with crazy ideas that work ninety nine percent of the time. He's a genius, but just because he's smart doesn't mean that he knows how to get along with people. He has had a couple run ins with lawsuits because of how he treated patients, and he didn't want that to interfere with the ruling, and I had a better chance, so here I am."

"I see, but you do understand, that if anything were to happen between the two of you, that she would stay with you," he said.

"Yes, I knew that before the trial started," Cuddy answered. "And I have no problem with that."

"Okay, just one more question, why? Why did you agree to this?" he asked. There was something in his tone that made that question stand out from the others. He put more emphasis on it, h wanted it to stick out.

Cuddy sighed and then looked over at Gabrielle. "I couldn't bare to see a young girl have to go live with some one that does not care about her. I heard stories and seen videos and pictures, and life hasn't been fair to her. I may not be related to her, and I may have just met her, but that doesn't mean that I just throw her out in the open," she stopped for a moment. "A couple months ago, this girl walked into my office and introduced herself as his daughter, and I thought, great, there's little Houses walking around, but then, her mother died, and she was left with nothing but us, and to know that I let her down, would be horrible."

"That is all," David said and then went and sat down. The lawyer took his seat and briefly went through a couple of papers.

Gabrielle gave a smile of encouragement to Cuddy and then turned to House. "How do you think the rat over there is going to treat her?" she quietly asked.

"I don't know, but I do know that if they don't stop looking back at us, I may have to buy a new cane," House stated.

"Why would that make you get a new cane?" Gabrielle asked.

"Because this one will be broken in two and shoved up their asses," he said and then attempted to stare back at the two.

Gabrielle sat there and watched the two go at it for a few seconds. Their eyes were fixed on each other, possibly piercing into each other. "Before you shove your cane anywhere, mind if I break it by beating them with it first?"

"Go for it," h sad as he continued to stare Eloise down.

Next, Connor stood up. He walked to her with a smirk on his face. "So, Miss Cuddy," he started. Cuddy just sat there and awaited his questions. "If he shouldn't be fighting for custody, what makes you think that she should be living in the same home with him?"

"I have seen him with his daughter, he treats her differently than he treats his patients. Neither of us thought that you would understand that though," she said. That was sort of true. Really, House wanted his daughter, knew he couldn't get her so she was standing in for him. He did treat her differently from his patients though, so that's one part that's true.

"What makes you think that you know what you're doing when it comes to taking care of a teenage girl that you barely even know?" he asked.

"You're right, I don't." Cuddy shrugged. "But who does? No one knows how their decisions will affect some one twenty years down the road."

"So, everyone can basically take care of a kid because there are no right answers?" he asked.

"No, but I have proven to be responsible," Cuddy answered trying to keep her voice calm. It was getting hard for hr to keep calm since he was staring to irritate her. He was trying so hard to act like he knew what he was doing, it was almost sickening.

"Really?" he asked as he nodded and then stepped back.

"Really," Cuddy said. There was really no question asked there, but she felt she should answer it anyways.

"Well," he turned back to her. "That's different. I doubt Mr. and Mrs. Trent would agree with you on that now would they?"

Cuddy froze. That was when everything around her seemed to stop. A lump started to form in the back of her throat. Now, she was scared. Now, she felt guiltier than ever.

"Oh God," Gabrielle gasped.

House grabbed her hand and leaned down towards her. "You'll only make things worse if you do anything now," he whispered.

Cuddy just stared. There wasn't much else that she could do at the moment. "That was an accident that happened a long time ago," she said with her voice becoming shaky.

"But, you did kill Kenny Trent?" he asked. The tone of his voice was enough to cause a good portion of the people in that room to strangle him, but the way he was staring at her, waiting for his answer like some blood hungry animal, made her want to nearly kill him.

"Yes," Cuddy answered.

Gabrielle could see Cuddy up there suffering through this, and quite frankly, had had enough. She couldn't take it anymore. "Excuse me." Gabrielle stood up and started to walk out of the room. Before she got to the door, she stopped and turned back to face everyone. "Just for the record, Cuddy feels guilty as heel for an accident that was over twenty years ago, and Eloise would never even apologize to me for injuries that she has caused me. So, if anything's fair, that won't be used against Cuddy since it was in self defense, and Eloise here will get killed by some random object falling from space." With that, she lowered her head and walked out. House turned back and watched her leave and then looked back at Cuddy and sighed.

**This chapter is for Holly. She has been giving me some help with a few of the chapters, and this is the last one that she will be helping me with for a while. She has been in and out of the hospital for the past few weeks and is going through a lot of testing. **


	45. Broken

Chapter 45: Broken

Gabrielle sat at the table with House and Cuddy. Cuddy sat across from her as she fed Rachel. Everyone, again, was tense. This was all beginning to eat at everyone, one way or another. No one was talking. No one. The only sound came when Rachel became fussy and started refusing her food.

"Come on Rachel," Cuddy said. Her voice gave away how in edge she was. It felt as if all you had to do was drop a pin to set her off.

"Here, I'll take her," Gabrielle offered.

Cuddy stressfully sighed and handed the baby over. "Just go put her down for a nap, I'm sure that she's tired."

"Okay," Gabrielle said and then proceeded to the living room.

House hated this situation. Right now all he wanted to do was say screw everything and go into his room and do what he would do night after endless night before he really had any reason to do anything. He wanted to lie there with his booze and his pills and forget about everything. "Stop acting so tense," House said.

Cuddy looked up at him and pursed her lips. "You think that I should stop acting how I feel?" She was holding back as mush as she possibly could at the moment.

"Do you see what you're doing? You're driving everyone here insane! You've had the both of us afraid to move around you!" House yelled. He stood up and started towards the counter. "Next thing you know we'll all be avoiding you at all costs."

Cuddy's eyes started to fill with tears of irritation and hurt. Standing up, she pointed her finger to him and slowly walked closer. "You're gonna put this all on me? I get blamed for murder and you have the nerve to tell me to act differently so that I don't upset people around me!?" She slammed her fist down on the counter and turned away from him. Her head lowered down as she thought about what had just happened. "I always knew you were an arrogant ass, I just never knew how far you would take it."

House stood there and stared for a second. There was no response to that, at least there was nothing to say that would make the situation sound better. He stepped forward.

Her head slowly raised, she could feel him looking to her. "Look," she said and then kept her eyes closed as she turned. The tears that had been waiting, finally fell as she opened her eyes to the man before her. "I know that you have a daughter to look out for now, but keep in mind, this isn't easy for anyone here." All her emotions were pouring out as she stood there. They had been locked up today and she was finally being able to release it. "I'm scared now, I really am." With the back of her hand, she wiped her eyes. "One slip up now and I'm done. Everything I've worked for, done. I think I'm entitled to a little stress."

House looked into her eyes. "You're not going to lose anything," he stated. There was absolutely no emotion in his voice what so ever. The only hint of sincerity came from his eyes, the way he was able to keep contact with her.

He stepped forward and she grabbed his face. Slowly, they leaned into each other and kissed. Both of them were insecure and vulnerable, this was the only safety for them. They could trust each other, and knew each other. This wasn't the huge guessing game that they had all been playing lately, this was the person that they had been looking to for the past twenty years of knowing each other. Their tastes satisfied each other, the only two compatibly ones out there. It was as if they were each a broken piece, and needed the other to come along and fix it. To complete each other and hold them together.

Gabrielle just sat in the living room on the couch as she stared straight forward. She had been listening to House and Cuddy arguing, and it tore at her. Every bad thing that she thought was going to happen was starting to become true.

Gabrielle looked down to make sure that Rachel was asleep, and then slowly walked into the bathroom. She walked into the room and quietly closed the door behind her. The silence filled the air and eased her a little, but it didn't do enough for her. She looked around and contemplated on all her thoughts. She thought about how Eloise had hurt her, how she had hurt her mother, how she was currently hurting Cuddy, it was too much. Gabrielle knew that she had brought Eloise into Cuddy's life, and that this was her fault.

Gabrielle stood up and pulled her hand to free the handle from her grasp. Everything was blocked from her mind as she looked down on the sink and spotted the razor, it's sharp blade and easy access. The young girl looked back up into her reflection in the mirror. "It's usually worth it to sacrifice one to save many," she said.

She was hesitant to reach for the razor, but she did. Gabrielle tightly grasped the razor and studied it for a moment. Suddenly, she pushed back all her fears and threw the razor down. Her eyes were tightly closed, and she cringed as she felt the sting, but her hand stopped. She opened her eyes to reveal to herself that she had only hit the surface of the side of her wrist. She carefully pulled the blade out of the barely slit skin and watched it as the little amount of blood dripped down her arm.

In utter disbelief in what she had done, she slowly stepped back. Her wide eyes were focused on the small cut. Relaxing her hands, she watched the razor fall to the ground. The sound of it hitting the ground almost seemed to echo in the quiet room. Slowly rising her head, she caught sight of her reflection in the mirror. "She broke me," she quietly stated to herself.

Bringing herself out of her daze, she quickly cleaned off her cut, which now looked a small paper cut, and put the razor back. As soon as everything was back in it's place, she wiped her face and walked back out into the living room. All her thoughts were now centered around what had just happened, and even though she didn't go through with it, she almost did. It scared her that the razor even got close to her, let alone hit and cut the skin before she backed out. "God, I'm an idiot," she softly scolded herself and then rested her head in her hands.

House sat at the table as Cuddy stood in the spot where she had been when they were kissing. The room had been silent since. He was starting to wonder what was going to happen to everyone before this trial was over. It was obvious to him that there was more stress that needed, and some how he had to point that out to everyone. "You're not scared," he casually stated.

"What?" Cuddy asked as she quickly turned to looked at him. Her face was still stained with the tears that she had cried.

House sighed. "You're not scared of what could be done to you. Common sense would tell you that if you explained the situation, that you wouldn't get in trouble. The thing that's really bothering you is that more people know what happened and now you feel guilty, and it bothers you even more that there's nothing you can do about it." He just waited to see her reaction.

"So you're telling me that I'm worried and upset over nothing huh?" she asked. The tone of annoyance in her voice was anything but subtle. "You're telling me that they would believe my story without any proof? That they won't listen to Eloise and blow it off?" Cuddy was slowly getting herself worked up.

"Didn't you talk to your lawyer after words?" House asked.

Cuddy simply nodded.

"Well, didn't he say something about the fact that there were never any charges pressed against you?" he asked.

"Yes he did," she quickly answered. "But," she started.

"Come on Cuddy!" House stood up. "You're not thinking rationally and you're letting the irrational thoughts get to you!"

"Fine! I'm overreacting! I'm overreacting to being accused of murder! I'm overreacting to finding out that that lady has my entire life and all it's flaws in the palm of her hand!" Cuddy stopped and gathered herself. "Maybe you're right, maybe I am overreacting, but that doesn't give you the right to sit here and point everything out to me and tell me how to act. Just keep in mind, it could have been you up there today, and I know for a fact that you would go to extremes if you were hurt as badly as I was today, whether it's rational or not." With that, she turned and left the room, leaving House to just stand there and blankly stare.


	46. No Matter How Agonizing, I Will Follow

Chapter 46: I Will Follow You, no Matter How Agonizing it is

Gabrielle laid in the silent room. The only light came from the dim lamp that sat on the corner of the desk. She had been looking through the photo album to take her mind off of earliers incidents. The picture before her was one of Jake's first birthday. He sat in his highchair with a frosting covered smile on his face. Next to, was her, sitting at the table with the leftover ribbons in her almost white pigtails. Behind them stood Charlie, who was getting ready to hand Jake another gift. They all looked happy.

She turned the page and found a picture of her in a ballerina costume, a blue one that she used to like before she had to go live Eloise. From the looks of the picture, with the wrapping paper on the ground and the cornfield visible through the window, it was for her birthday.

The next was of Maria pushing on the swings in her backyard. Again, they were both happy. Why did that all have to change? Why couldn't Eloise just leave her alone and let her live with her father?

She was about to close the book when she noticed an envelope sticking out of the top. Now curious, she grabbed it and pulled out a letter. "Watashi tsuite iku yo donna tsurai sekai no yami no naka de sae kitto anata wa kagayaite koeru mirai no hate yowasa yue ni tamashii kowasarenu you ni my way kasanaru yo ima futari ni God bless... Haha, only you would understand this, you rock. If you can, call me sometime." Behind the letter were a couple pictures, one of her and an old boyfriend of hers, they were both dressed up as characters from an anime, she was Haruhi and he was Kyon. The other picture was of her in a bunny suit as she preformed on stage. As she looked at it, she began to laugh. "My mom would have killed me if she would have been there."

She put the letter back along with the pictures and decided to save it. It gave her a good laugh, so why not? She laid it down on the end table and walked over to the desk to turn the light out. Tomorrow was going to be a long day, so she figured that she had better get some sleep.

The next morning, she awoke to a cane being tapped against her face. "Wake up miss Haruhi!" House called out.

"What the hell?" Gabrielle asked as she sat up. Finally opening her eyes, she saw House going through the contents of the envelope.

"It says here on the picture that you dressed up as Haruhi, who ever the hell that is, which I'm sure I don't care," House said studying the picture. "But I'm sure that you should explain this one." He held up the one of her performing in the bunny suit.

Quickly, she sat up and grabbed it. "That's nothing," she nervously laughed.

House looked to her with curiosity. "Really?" He thought for a minute. "Is that really what Maria said about it? Nothing? Or was she a little bothered by the fact that her fifteen year old daughter bought a wig and barely anything else to perform in?"

"Actually," she started. "That's my real hair, and I was only thirteen."

"Interesting," he raised his eyebrows. "Most kids try to make it sound better."

Gabrielle sighed. "Look, these pictures are important to me, don't make me hate one of them," she nearly pleaded. She could see the interest in House's eyes, so naturally, she went onto explain. "That guy, his name is written on the back, he was Nick Schroeder, and this is how we met."

"Half naked while playing the guitar with bunny ears?" he asked and then pondered for a quick moment, "maybe I should try accompanying you to one of these things. Make sure you keep your clothes on, and that all the other girls perform."

Gabrielle slightly laughed, "it's an anime convention. That was sort of our thing a couple years ago. But actually, we were going to do the dance that is done at the end of that anime and we were missing a Kyon, well, I found him, and naturally, asked him, and he said yes. Then after the show, he kissed me and we exchanged phone numbers." Gabrielle looked up and saw him looking over the letter. "I will follow you, no matter how agonizing it is," she started.

"A true romance huh?" he sarcastically asked.

Gabrielle rolled her eyes. "Even within the darkness of the world, you will certainly shine. I will over come the limit of the future. My weakness will not shatter my spirit, my way over laps with yours. For the two of us, God bless. That was the song I sang in the bunny suit."

"A true hallmark moment. I'm sure it would break Cuddy down to tears," he remarked and then put the letter back onto the table.

"Well," Gabrielle said as he started to turn and leave. "It does kinda describe you two." She got House to pause. "I mean, she does put up with a lot from you, and she does seem to see something in you, like, a good doctor when everyone else just saw, I don't know, a drug addict, a stubborn ass."

"Right, it hold deep meaning and destiny for us. Get dressed or we'll be late," he said and then left the room while thinking that she doesn't even know how true that statement was.

House went and sat down at the table across from Cuddy as she fed Rachel. "Something wrong?" Cuddy asked as she looked up at him. He seemed to be in some type of deep thought.

"Can you picture my daughter singing a song from some Japanese show in a rabbit costume?" he asked.

"No," she slowly answered. "Do you?"

"No, I just, never mind," he said and then got up and grabbed the cereal.

Gabrielle finished getting dressed, and then headed out to join the others. She bunny hopped into the kitchen with a light orange ribbon tied on both sides of her hair. House rolled his eyes and held his cane out to block her. "Why? What is it daddy? Did thou doest something wrong?" she innocently asked.

"You do that again you'll be grounded until you're thirty," he threatened.

Gabrielle smirked. "Fine," she said and then started hopping out of the room. "Catch me if you can!"

Cuddy just looked over to him. "Did I miss something?"

"All the same stuff I missed," he said and then went back to his cereal.

Gabrielle walked back into the kitchen, normally this time, and without the ribbon in her hair. Taking her seat next to House, she grabbed the cereal box and poured it into the bowl. The room grew silent, and there was something that she had to say. "Hey, I'm sorry about my Aunt Eloise."

"You shouldn't have to apologize for her," Cuddy said and then looked over at her. She could see some sort of nervousness in her eyes. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. Even though she is out to hurt me, I'll keep going. Besides, I think that's the worst that she has on me, so it's only better from here. Right?"

Gabrielle slightly smiled. "Yeah, I guess," she said. "Thank you." Gabrielle, then reached for the milk, which was on the other side of the table. Without any warning, House grabbed her arm. "Yes?" Gabrielle asked.

"What's this?" he asked looking over the cut on the side of her wrist.

"It's a paper cut, I was trying to put away photos in the dark," she lied.

"Looks a bit think for a paper cut." His ice cold eyes turned to her face. "Looks more like a blade."

Cuddy instantly looked up with shock. "Oh God," she said.

"Look," Gabrielle said as she pulled her arm away. "If it was from a blade, don't most people go for the actual wrist? Not a small part of the side?"

"Not if they chicken out," House said.

Tears started to form in Gabrielle's eyes. "Fine, I tried alright?" Shaking her head she looked down. "I panicked. Eloise wants you for murder, probably wants you for drug abuse, and you two were yelling at each other." She slowly lifted her head. "I panicked. But I didn't go through with it."

"Doesn't mean we won't watch you for a while," House said.

"I'd feel better if you did," she said and then laid her head down on the table and started to cry. Cuddy reached over and laid her hand on Gabrielle's back as she gave a look of concern to House.

**Okay, so I thought after the last chapter, that this one should at least have a single light moment. I think I should also mention that the song used is not mine, nor will I ever make any money off of it what so ever. The lyrics are from the song God Knows by Aya Hirano. Sad thing is, lol, I didn't even have to look up either the Japanese or English translation, I'm such a dork. Oh well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please let me know what you think of it. **


	47. Would You? Or Wouldn't You?

Chapter 47: Would You? Or Wouldn't You?

House walked into his office. They had gotten out of court, and the lawyer told him to prepare himself for his questioning the next day. That wasn't even the first thing on his mind though, he knew how to talk to both lawyers, it was going to be easy, hopefully. The first thing on his mind though, at the moment, was that his future wife was at her OBGYN appointment, at three months along. She had a small bump, but nothing you noticed unless you looked for it.

He hung his cane on the side of his desk and sat down. Cuddy knew that he would be busy for the week, so she just assigned him clinic duty. In the next room, sat most of his team around the table, the only one missing was Foreman, who was working in the clinic at the time.

After some time of random downloads and searches on his computer, he walked into the conference room and stood before his group which was now missing Taub instead of Foreman. He randomly looked over the entire group and then hung his cane up on the side of the white board. He picked up his marker and wrote the word "bluffing" on the board and turned back to them. "Anyone here familiar with the term?" he asked.

He received the random nods as everyone was trying to figure out where he was going with this. "Let me restate this," he said and then pointed to the word. "Anyone here know how to play poker? And I don't mean the games where you bet a quarter and go home with fifty cents. I mean money money, like betting twenty five hundred and going home with fifty thousand."

Thirteen raised her hand. "Last week I decided to bet fifteen thousand on a drinking contest between me and some random girl I saw at the bar."

House studied her for a second. "What did you have to lose?" he asked.

She sat there and thought for a moment. "Not really that much, I live by myself, and I don't see how it will ever be very long."

"Ergo, you are disqualified." He stood there for a minute and looked at her with a small crooked grin. "How did it go though?" he asked.

"We both got drunk, and I ended up winning, but somewhere in there I remember making out with her under the table," she explained.

House stood there for a second. He was picturing the scene in his head, and liked it. "Trust me, you would have earned your money back if I could have seen ten minutes of that." He then went and wrote something down underneath bluffing. The statement was "with everything to lose" and then underlined it a few times to show it's importance. "Now how do you act like you act like you've got nothing to lose, and make the other person feel as if they have everything to lose? Especially when it's the other way around."

Everyone just kind of stared for a second. First, they didn't know why he was asking them this, and second, they really couldn't think of how to answer that.

"Come on people, we haven't had a case in a while. I still want you to be able to think quickly." That was about the best lie that he could think of at the moment.

"Well, how does this person's record look? Are they actually spotless? Or are they sneaky?" Taub asked.

"Good," House said as he took his cane and pointed his cane towards him. "Let's say this guy's record is clean, but there has been suspicions of him stealing money." His eyes ominously scanned the room before he proceeded. "Apparently, his income, home, and debt don't all match up." He was about to go further, but Gabrielle walked into the room through the doors to his office. "Daddy? Cuddy needs you," her voice was serious and filled with concern.

"Okay," he as he went into his office.

Gabrielle stayed there and closed the blinds between the two rooms. She knew that they needed their privacy for few minutes, so she decided to stay with the group.

"What was that all about?" Foreman asked.

"Oh, she just wants to beat the hell out of him. Saving my daddy from unneeded embarrassment," she said.

House stood there and watched Cuddy for a moment. She sat behind his desk as she softly tossed his foam tennis ball up and down. Her eyes were fixed straight ahead. "I don't know if I can do this," she softly announced.

"What? The trial?" House asked. He had the feeling that it was about the baby, but was afraid to come right out and ask if it was. He knew that if there was something seriously wrong, that it would absolutely tear her apart, again.

Boy could some men be idiots, she just came from her appointment. "No, be a mother to three babies at one time." Cuddy sighed and turned to him. "Twins, it's twins." her voice was hoarse and her face expressionless.

House just stared for a minute and then went and sat down. He just stared for a moment. "One baby makes mommy the happiest person in the world, but two's another story." He realized that he probably shouldn't have said that, but he knew that this was a quick way to get her to say what she needed to say. He himself was a little shaken by the idea, but wasn't going to let that show.

Cuddy glared at him. "I don't think you understand," she started with her frustration beginning to rise. "First off, its just that much more stress on my body, second and more importantly, how do you take care of three babies when you own a hospital? At times I barely get by with Rachel and I knew that I could get by with another baby if I tried, but two more? I feel guilty leaving in the morning hearing Rachel cry, I work most of the day, and even if I were to stay home, it would be," she trailed off and just shook her head. "I don't know, I really don't."

"So that's it?" House asked.

"What?" she asked.

"You sound like you're just giving up on the entire thing," House stated. Cuddy slowly looked up. "Would you turn back now if you could?"

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "Its not that simple."

"Sure it is. Would you? Or wouldn't you?" House asked.

Cuddy looked out towards the window and slightly smiled. "I wouldn't," she answered.

House sighed and looked in the direction of the conference room. "Does the evil spawn over there know yet? You could guilt her into a lot of babysitting if you wanted to," he said pointing his cane towards the door separating the two rooms.

"Before you did. I saw her in the lobby," she answered without turning back to him.

House curiously looked over and then back at Cuddy. "What was she doing in the lobby?"

Cuddy finally turned to him. "Talking to one of the outgoing patients I think."

"How would you know whether or not she was a patient or not?" House asked.

"He," Cuddy corrected him and then sat back and awaited his response. It was easy to tell by the very look on his face that he was a little nervous now.

"He? What's she doing talking to a he?" House stood up and started to the door.

Cuddy started to laugh. "Greg, relax! They were out in the open. In the public eye. It's not like I found them together in the janitor's closet."

"You don't know what they would have been doing ten minutes later if you hadn't of shown up," he mumbled and then left the room.

Cuddy just shook her head and stood up. "Now what if I have twin girls?" she asked to herself. "Imagine having that same feeling for three at one time."


	48. Unsure

Chapter 48: Unsure

It had been right after House had found out about the twins. He and Gabrielle were sitting out in the hallway with their backs to the wall and their feet straight out. House would lay his cane on the pinky of his right hand and twirl it through and catch it on the index of his left, and continue to twirl through until Gabrielle could catch it on her right hand and they continually did this as they sat there and talked.

"You nervous?" Gabrielle asked. She just stared straight forward without any emotion. There was an answer that she was expecting from him, and it was going to be a lot more than either yes or no.

"Bout what?" he asked without taking his eyes off the wall before him.

"The twins? You just went from three babies to four," Gabrielle answered.

House looked down to her with confusion. "I thought you were able to count."

Gabrielle shrugged. "I thought I had the mentality of a baby."

House sighed and went back to staring forward. It seemed as if all he could do at the moment, was keep twirling the cane through his fingers, when really it was some way of helping him think.

Gabrielle sighed and decided to give it another attempt. "Is it the twins you're worried about?" With a hint of hesitance, she looked up and stared at him. "Or is it Cuddy you're worried about?"

House looked back her and stared. Something went off in him, but she couldn't tell what exactly. "Why should I be worried about either?" They both stopped talking and just went on with twirling the cane back and forth as a few hospital workers walked past them. As soon as he was sure that they were gone, he turned back towards Gabrielle. "Cuddy wants kids more than anything and she's getting them and I'm up half the night anyways." He made sure to keep his voice low.

Gabrielle looked around and saw a few visitors, but that was it. "She told me you were there when she had miscarried."

House lowered his head and paused for a moment. "What about it?" He had witnessed the toll it had taken on her, he remembered everything from the phone call he received from her to the last minute he spent listening to her cry about what she would have named it.

"I haven't actually seen her after one, and I can tell that she would completely fall apart," Gabrielle explained.

House knew that she knew what was really bothering him. Now he was just starting to wonder if she was worried about the same thing. "So what? Is it that hard to figure? Two is more than one. You miscarry one you mourn for a couple weeks and you try again. You lose two on your umpteenth try and the world ends for a few months while you continually cry when ever you get some alone time and ask why this happens to you." He looked back up and sighed.

Gabrielle couldn't imagine what would happen if something did go wrong. She leaned her head back against the wall. "Are you expecting the worst to come out of this?" She turned and looked to him. "Because I don't think that's the best thing to do."

"Coming from the wrist slitter herself," he replied.

"No, really, I mean, you can't let her know that you're worried. She's nervous enough herself, the last thing she needs is know that others are doubting that the situation will work out. I mean, I think it'll work out." Gabrielle went back to staring forward.

"You're outlook was a lot different when your mother was on her deathbed," House stated.

Gabrielle shrugged. "Some might say I'm a little different from then, and why wouldn't I be? My mother died, my Aunt's trying to screw me over, I have a father, a couple of people are actually willing to fight for me. Yeah, you're right, I'm not the same girl that walked into the hospital a few months ago. Besides, what the hell good could have come out of my mom's situation? Even if she would have lived, my Aunt would have taken me in anyways because of the condition that my mother would have been in."

"And therefore you would have been sitting here with me like you are right now because somehow we would have realized how bad Eloise was. Remember, I knew her before you did," House explained.

Gabrielle laughed. "You might have been with her first, but I was with her longer."

House nodded. "Can't argue with that." They both sat there and twirled the cane back and forth a couple of more times until he caught it and held onto it. "I think we should go check up on our little merry mother," he said as he stood up.

"Okay." Gabrielle stood up and followed him down the hallway.

************

Cuddy stood in the bathroom of her office. Her heels, which, she was now wearing low heels, were sitting next to the small stool that she was standing on in front of the mirror so that she could completely see herself. Lately she had been wearing looser shirts, but right now as she stood before the mirror, she faced sideways and had her shirt pulled back tightly.

Even though she was hiding it from others until she absolutely had to tell them, she wanted to see how much of a bump there was. It was just as she had seen before, just a small little bump. Merely a small pouch. She laid her free hand over it and then nervously smiled.

Absentmindedly, she got down off the stool and sat on it. She wrapped her arms around her waist and started to stare off into space. The whole idea of being pregnant alone was just starting to become real to her, and now, twins. First, everything had went from going through everything once to twice, and now to three times. Now instead of waking up for one baby at night, she had to handle three, feed three, change three, burp three, bathe three, this was all going to be very tiring.

Her head perked up and she was brought out of her thoughts as she heard the door to her office open.

"Fear not for we bring tidings of joy, or maybe warmth or something stupid like that," House said.

Gabrielle was the first one to poke her head around the corner of the doorway. As soon as she saw Cuddy, her face dropped a tiny bit. "We just wanted to check on you." Her voice was about as gentle as it could get. It was as soon as she said anything that House appeared behind her.

Cuddy looked up and smiled at the two. "I'm fine, but would one of you please go and lock the door for me? I don't know if I can really be of any help to anyone right now anyways."

House and Gabrielle looked at each other for a second. "Fine, I'll do it, I don't need to hear the same thing that you said to the poor guy on the elevator," Gabrielle said.

"Hey, people need to respect their cripples," he said to her as she walked off.

"He was holding the door for you. That doesn't give you the right to yell at him to get out of the way," Gabrielle called out as she turned around on her way back.

House rolled his eyes, "but he was blocking me. And the fact that he was smiling while he did it."

Gabrielle rolled her eyes upon her return and walked into the bathroom. "At least he understood when I apologized for you." She walked over and stood by Cuddy.

House followed her in and closed the bathroom door behind him. "That never gave you the right to tell him that I was in the middle of detoxing," he mumbled, only to receive a glare from Gabrielle

After he had gotten his final word in, everyone in the room was silent for a moment, mostly just waiting for someone else to say something.

"What are you most nervous about?" Gabrielle asked. The silence was starting to get to her. She was also dreading the moment that Cuddy did start finally talking about it, and wanted to get it over with. Cuddy slowly stared up at her and then looked over at House. "He was worried because he doesn't want anything to go wrong with two babies because he knows how badly that would hurt you," Gabrielle said as she pointed to her father.

House quickly looked over. "No," he lied. "I said I was worried about her figure, but that's as far as I took it." He didn't want to appear in anyway vulnerable or anything close to it.

Gabrielle crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "Stop lying you jerk or I'll start recording conversations."

"It's not like the thought hasn't crossed my mind, but I'm more worried about the work and energy it'll take, whether or not I'll be able to do it." Cuddy did find it sweet that House was worried about her, and not about having to help out. Her eyes went up and met with House's. "And Greg, I don't want Gabrielle having to tell me everything that you say or feel, if you have something to tell me, please, go ahead. I know you're not afraid to push any buttons with me."

Truth was, he was. When it came down to it, and it really mattered, the last thing he wanted to do was chase her away. "Fine, I have my doubts about whether or not those twins will even be born."

Cuddy just looked up and shrugged. "Who doesn't?"

Both Gabrielle and House just stared at her for a second. They exchanged a quick look and Gabrielle, trying her hardest to stay subtle about it, pointed to herself. House nodded and they both looked back down to Cuddy who was blankly staring. "Did you hear something? Or do feel like there's something wrong?" Gabrielle asked getting Cuddy to quickly look up at her. "Because you were so happy, and now you seem like you're expecting the worst to happen."

"There is no disappointment that way," Cuddy weakly answered.

Gabrielle's eyes widened as she let out a small laugh. "I can't believe that you would take something that I said when I was getting used to the fact that my mother was going to die, and use it to prepare yourself for the worst with your own babies."

"Yeah, mine, that's the key word that gets the chances lowered." Cuddy just shook her head. "I mean, I would be thrilled, and excited and things that I can't even begin to describe if these twins are both born healthy." She stopped for a minute and tightly closed her eyes as she held back a few tears. "But I said that with the other times I tried."

House looked down and sighed. He slowly sat down on the ground and motioned for Cuddy to come and join him. Wiping her face, she got up and made her over to join him. House gently put his arms around her and looked up. He could feel her body shake as she softly cried. "You know, you're right. Why should this be any different from any other time? It's still you, still you're body, the only thing that has changed is that you're older now, which really is against you."

Cuddy lifted herself from his embrace and looked up to him. "What are you trying to say?" she asked.

House sat there and thought for a second. "That if everything goes good, you should be twice as happy. And that you shouldn't spend this time moping when everyone here knows that you would rather be out buying little cutesy baby stuff and announcing your news to everyone. If anything, I think you put too much thought into all of this."

"Actually," Gabrielle stated. "She does have an excuse to be a little emotional."

House quickly looked to Gabrielle. "Shut up kid, I'm doing good over here."

Gabrielle mocked him and then looked over to Cuddy. "Coming from the man whose main idea of a date is a call girl that resembles his favorite porn star."

Cuddy nodded as she held her hand up. "I know, I've seen what he does." She turned her attention back to House. "But you are right, I would rather be out doing that stuff, I just don't want to jinx anything, I know that's childish and stupid, but I just want to wait maybe another month before I do any of that."

"Okay," House said. He put his arm back around her and she leaned her head on his chest. They sat there like that for a moment in silence. Cuddy was starting to think that maybe she was overreacting for something that had not happened yet. It wasn't like it was an incomplete possibility, actually, for her there was a high chance that something could go wrong. Knowing that, what House had just told her was true. There was no need to get yourself worked up over things that had not happened yet.

"Thank you," Cuddy said with her voice muffled in his shirt.

"Yep," he responded.


	49. Scars

Chapter 49: Scars

Gabrielle sat in her room as she got dressed for court. Today she had to listen to House answer questions, that was either going to be nerve racking or entertaining, and some how she figured there was no in between. She sighed as she pulled half of her hair back and tied the ribbon. "Well, here goes nothing," she said as she walked out of her room. She turned the corner to the bathroom and started to laugh. "Aw, poor thing." Gabrielle pulled out her cell phone and grabbed a quick picture.

House came up behind her. "Reminds me of our college days together."

Gabrielle held up her phone. "How often do you get a picture like that?"

House took her phone and smiled at the picture of Cuddy asleep at the toilet. "If you would have seen her at a couple of the parties I did while we were both in college, this picture would mean nothing." He handed back the phone and stared at Cuddy. "You wanna wake sleeping beauty or should I?"

"I'll do it. You go get dressed, we need to be there in two hours." Gabrielle walked into the bathroom as House went into the bedroom to get his clothes. She knelt down in front of Cuddy. It was hard, but she tried to keep a straight face. "Hey," she softly called out as she shook her shoulder. "It's time to wake up Cuddy." Nothing. Gabrielle sighed as she sat back, then she finally knew what she had to do to get the woman to wake up. "Cuddy! House wants to cut the patient's liver out but there's no proof that it'll help and the family is getting ready to press charges!"

Cuddy's eyes slowly started to open. "What?" she hoarsely asked.

Gabrielle sat back and smirked. "Thought that would get you."

Cuddy lifted her head up and looked around. The entire time she looked as if she were in pain, which was true, her head and neck were killing her. "Oh God, I didn't think I would actually sleep here."

Gabrielle just shrugged. "Well, you did." She watched her for a minute as she just blankly stared. "Are you okay there?"

Cuddy's eyes widened and she repositioned herself over the toilet. "Gabi, I suggest you either leave or turn around for a minute."

Gabrielle quickly jumped up and grabbed a rubber band from off the bathroom sink and went over to Cuddy. "At least keep your hair out of the way, we gotta go in a little bit," she said as she stood over Cuddy and started pulling her hair back into a ponytail. When Cuddy did actually puke Gabrielle backed away and turned her back. "Now that's sick."

"Well, I told you to leave!" Cuddy snapped.

Gabrielle sighed. "I'm sorry. And if you can't make it in today, daddy and I can somehow cover for you." She started to feel bad, like she was pushing her.

Cuddy slightly laughed. "I'll be there. Just give me a minute to get this over with."

"Anything you need me to do for you?" Gabrielle asked. She just stood there in the doorway for a minute.

"Just make sure your father gets ready," Cuddy said.

"Will do," Gabrielle said and then closed the door behind her. She walked down the hall to the bedroom and walked in to see House standing in front of the bed readjusting his tie. "Why don't we tie matching ribbons around your cane and vicodin bottle so that you can go truly dressed up?"

"And here's the little princess that we're fighting for," he said without taking his attention off of his tie.

Gabrielle nervously walked over to the bed and sat down. The room was quiet as she looked around. "Hey, Dad, I think there is something that I should show you before we go in today."

"What's that? You got a jail record or something that I should know about?" he asked.

Gabrielle lifted her shirt revealing a jagged scar that went down her side. "It's not as bad as it was when I was little, but it's still there."

House slowly turned and froze once he saw the scar. "She….?" He started, but he didn't need to finish. Gabrielle nodded and pulled her shirt back down over the scar. He looked down and stared for a minute and then turned back to the direction he was facing. "I'll remember that," he said more to himself.

"Right," Gabrielle said as she stood up and walked out of the room.

House looked as she left the room and then looked down. His eyes were closed shut for a minute, only to be opened to see that he had closed his fists so tightly that his nails were digging into his palms and causing them to bleed. He just wiped them off and went back to what he was doing.

* * *

House sat there in front of the room. He looked out and caught Gabrielle's eyes, his own eyes staring back at him. Every time he looked at her, he saw that scar, and the little girl from the video. Some how, those were both the same girl that would call him sticky fingers and laugh at the pictures that she got of Cuddy. Just to see her, you wouldn't know, but he knew, and he felt responsible. The thought, the single thought that if he would have treated Maria just a little better, that maybe she wouldn't have left him without telling him, that she could have stayed with him instead of Eloise.

Winchester stood up and made his way to the bench. He stood before House and stared for a minute, there was a hesitation that struck him. "Is it true that you did just recently take a paternity test to prove your relation to Gabrielle Zbin?"

"Yes, and big surprise," House motioned over towards Gabrielle. "She's my daughter."

The rest of the questions went by pretty well. They were the usual, why were you in jail during this time, do you have a history of being abusive. He was even asked about his pills, but he lied a bit on that one, telling him that he only took what he needed. It was a huge lie, but he figured that it was pretty truthful since he didn't just take them for fun. The one he was worried about was the next man, Connor, who now stood before him.

"So, you're a grumpy doctor, who doesn't give a damn. You pop pills that you probably don't need. Why should anyone trust you living with a young girl?" He was smug as he stood there with his eyes lowered.

House leaned forward and shrugged. "I don't know. Why would you think that she should be living over there with the child beater?"

Eloise quickly stood up. "He can't accuse me of that!" she yelled.

Gabrielle sighed as rolled her eyes and turned to Eloise. "Fine, I will. You're a child beater. There." With that she turned back to face the front and crossed her arms.

"I don't think that's fair either," Eloise argued.

Gabrielle's eyes widened. She immediately stood up and lifted her shirt. "Yeah? Really? Well last time I checked it was unfair to hit someone less than half your size with a broken vase." Cuddy turned and softly gasped. Gabrielle looked down to her and shook her head. "Don't. The only one who needs to feel sorry about this is sitting over there."

The judge sighed. He wasn't supposed to be letting people just talk like they had been, but this was a little different. "Prove it's a real scar and I'll listen to what you have to say."

Gabrielle looked up in surprise. She had never gotten a chance like that, so she went for it. "Cuddy, try and wipe it off."

Cuddy looked a bit awkward at first, but she took her thumb and tried to wipe the mark off. "It won't come off."

They both turned back and looked to the judge who sighed. "Doctor House, you may step down. Gabrielle Zbin, please come up to the bench and tell us what happened."

Gabrielle slightly smiled at House as they passed each other, but the smile quickly faded as she sat down. Eloise was staring at her with annoyance and anger. Gabrielle couldn't help but think that Eloise was getting everything that she deserved at the moment, but she also knew that she was going to have to talk about everything that happened, all those memories that she had tried so hard to just forget about. "Well," she nervously started and then looked down and swallowed. Taking a deep breath, she looked back up and around the room. "I was about seven at the time, and I was playing around, like most little kids do. My Aunt's friends were over and I had no one to play with, so I threw a bouncy ball around, and I accidentally broke the vase." The young girl stopped for a second and looked around again. "Like most people, she was mad at me, but instead of yelling at me, she pulled me into the bathroom and grabbed the vase from out in the hall and stabbed me in the side while continually asking how that felt." Gabrielle felt a lump forming in her throat, but swallowed and tried to ignore it.

House looked over at Eloise and glared at her. It was hard for him to ignore her presence in the room at the moment. It seemed like every time Gabrielle talked about Eloise, he would think of his father and how his father had treated him. It was a reminder, and even though he isn't the person to give a damn about people's personal lives, he truly didn't think that any kid deserved that, especially the one before him, his own.

"The sad thing, was that I was over there because of Eloise. It was her fault that I was staying with her." Gabrielle nervously looked out at her father and hesitated for a minute. "When I was five, my mother, Maria, got married, and had a baby, and I guess that Eloise was a little jealous of that or something." She stopped and looked over at Eloise to her cringing. That was the only reason that she had decided to keep going. It was also the only thing that kept the tears from falling from her eyes as she spoke. "The man my mom married was Charlie, and that was the man that I found Eloise trying to seduce in the kitchen. My mom knew about it, but, that didn't mean that Charlie could handle it, so he took my little brother and left for New York. The next few weeks, I spent watching my mom get drunk and stop caring about everything. That was when my grandparents took her in, and I was sent to live with Eloise."

"I see," the judge said. He looked down towards Eloise as if looking for her to respond to what Gabrielle had just stated. "You may step down now if you want."

Gabrielle stood up and stumbled on her way down. Cuddy jumped up, but Gabrielle held her hand up and walked back and took her seat next to her father. They exchanged looks of despair and then looked back towards the front. "Sorry I didn't tell you earlier," Gabrielle softly apologized.

"I honestly don't care about either Charlie or Maria right now. As far as I'm concerned she didn't give a damn about me, so why should I for her?" House asked.

Gabrielle shrugged and then looked back at him. He simply stared forward, he was not okay with what had happened. It didn't matter to her though. It wasn't her fault and she couldn't change it. She leaned her head against his shoulder and looked down at her for a second before finally taking his arm and wrapping it around her.

The judge looked down towards Eloise. "Do you have anything to say about this?"

Eloise stood up. "Your honor, you have not lived a day with this spoiled brat. She always thought that she was allowed to do what ever she felt like doing. When she was five she told me that her mother lets her jump on the furniture, therefore she should be allowed to jump on mine. We all know that was a lie, but she stuck to it anyways. She's always been a trouble maker and she always will be." With that last line, she sat down and stared.

"Maybe she's just a good judge of character," House said.

"Doctor House. You will not speak freely when ever you want," the judge snapped.

"Sorry your honor," he apologized. House looked over and glared at Eloise, who returned the stern look.

After a moment of silence the judge decided to speak again. "Everyone is to return tomorrow at ten am. I should have my decision ready unless either Winchester or Connor brings anyone in for questioning."

House and Gabrielle stood up as she remained under his arm. Cuddy stood up and turned around to face the two. All three of them just stood there for a minute in their own silence. Cuddy finally decided to speak. "Why didn't you tell us about the scar earlier?" she asked.

Gabrielle pulled herself away from her father and sighed as she crossed her arms. "Just because something bad happens, doesn't mean that you announce to everyone. Especially since in most cases, most people honestly could not care less about your problems, in which, you might as well just tell them to a wall."

"Smart kid," House commented.

"We're not random people though. We're not part of that most people group," Cuddy said.

"Right, and you know more about my life than most people do at the moment." Gabrielle lowered her head. "But I got to tell you," she slowly looked up and raised her head. "There are a lot of things that happened while I was there that you don't know about right now, and I highly doubt that you will ever know everything. Just like I'm sure that both of you have parts of your past that I will never hear about. What I told you, was what I knew was going to come out, the things that I needed to tell the judge so that I wouldn't have to live with Eloise."

Cuddy shook her head in disbelief. "Let's get out of here." Both House and Gabrielle agreed and they all walked out.


	50. Misunderstanding

Chapter 50: Misunderstanding

House sat in Wilson's office as he waited for him to arrive. He patiently waited on the couch as he looked around wondering what could have been keeping him. What he didn't know was that Wilson was down the hall talking to Gabrielle.

Gabrielle leaned against the wall with her arms folded. Her blue eyes just staring past Wilson as she faced him, not really focused on anything. "So, I just told the story flat out there, and I don't know if I hurt him or not, but what I do know is that he gets angry every time that I talk about what Eloise did to me. I showed him a scar and he cut his hands by clenching his fists."

Wilson looked at her, some what confused. "Were you wanting to talk to him about what happened to you?" It wasn't that he was confused about the situation, just by the fact that someone would want to present their problems to House.

Gabrielle looked up and shook her head. "No." Gabrielle lightly pushed herself away from the wall. "I don't want to tell anyone about it, unless I know that they'll hear about it sooner or later. The only problem is that Cuddy seems to want me to talk about it. I mean, she doesn't bring it up in front of Daddy, but I know that if I tell her something, I will end up telling her everything, and then of course, some how Daddy will hear about it. I know he seems like an insensitive jerk, but this obviously bothers him and I can't do that to either of them."

"Do what? Tell them the truth? Let her talk to you? Let him know about the childhood that he missed out on seeing? I know it isn't nearly the best, but you have to admit, if you were either one of them, you would be curious." Wilson sympathetically looked to her, but then raised his eyebrow in interest. "Why do you care so much about how House and Cuddy get along? You come out here, with your past and you focus all of your attention on those two and base every decision around them."

Gabrielle smirked. "You wouldn't?" She softly laughed. "Those two are the closest thing I've had to a family, well, I mean a real family. Besides, it was fun setting those two up. I think they needed to get together, I'm a teenage girl, I sense that sort of stuff." Gabrielle then sighed. "And also, things weren't going too well with my boyfriend and I at the time, I needed some romance in my life."

Wilson just stared at her for a minute. "Oh my God," he gasped. "Come with me." He started towards his office. Gabrielle rolled her eyes and followed him. Wilson walked down the hall and slowed once he got to House's office, but once he saw that he wasn't in there, he continued to his. "Good, you're here."

Gabrielle walked in and sat down next to House. "What are you doing here?" House asked as he looked down at her.

Gabrielle smiled up at him. "He had an epiphany down the hall and I wanted to see how this works."

House nodded. "This ought to be interesting," he said as he turned all of his attention back to Wilson.

Wilson stood before them and started to laugh. He pointed at them both and started to say something, but couldn't. It took him a few minutes before he finally could. "You two are actually living through each other!" he announced.

House and Gabrielle turned to each other and over dramatically gasped. "So you're like totally going to the mall tonight to try on those new sweaters right?" Gabrielle asked.

"Only if you take the case for me. It's a middle aged women with kidney failure, I think you should be able to handle it." House said.

"Look at you two. She's setting you up so you can have the romance that she couldn't, so that you could have the family that she couldn't. And you. You want to protect her from what you were exposed to. You want to get back at Eloise as a form of getting back at your father," Wilson explained as he looked at them.

"You're making us sound like some warped marriage," House remarked.

"Actually, never mind. Pretend I didn't say anything," Wilson said. He walked around his desk and sat down. "It obviously works for you two."

House perplexedly looked to him with shock and then turned to his daughter. "Did he just scold us and then tell us to keep doing what we were doing?"

Gabrielle looked up with surprise as she went along with it. "I think so."

Wilson just sat there and shook his head. "Well it is. I mean, you actually care about something, and, well she's getting out of living with an abuser. I just realized that you both found something that works for you. It's not normal or right, but it works."

"You probably just got used to having to change everything else about me." House remarked and then looked down at Gabrielle. "He's a bit of a busybody if you know what I mean."

Gabrielle shrugged. "We all need hobbies I guess."

"Just keep doing what you're doing." Wilson started to look over his paperwork.

"Damn, I've never been in a warped marriage, now he takes that away from me so I can play daughter to you," Gabrielle said.

"And you tell me that I give out the warped ideas," Wilson commented.

Meanwhile, Cuddy walked down the hall towards Wilson's office. She needed to go get him to get ready to leave in a little bit, and really wasn't feeling good to begin with and wanted to just make sure that everything went smoothly. With a small, some what forced smile on her face, she approached the door, but stopped as soon as she heard House's voice.

"I was just about to leave Cuddy, and then something like this happens," he joked.

Cuddy stopped and backed away from the door. Her body froze for a moment as what she had heard registered. Keeping herself together, she walked back to the elevator.

In Wilson's office Gabrielle sighed as she turned to House. "It's ok. Really. I understand, incest isn't quite your thing, which is surprising to me, because I'm sure you get desperate enough to do a random plant at times, but I understand."

"Can you two go be disturbing somewhere else? I have an appointment with a patient in about ten minutes," Wilson said without looking up from his files.

"Actually," Gabrielle said as she stood up. "I told happy downstairs that I would collect some papers for her." Gabrielle left the room as House just watched her.

House stared in her direction and then got up and silently went back to his office.

Wilson just looked up and softly smiled before going back to work.

Cuddy sat at her desk and blankly stared down, not really looking at anything, just staring. Her hand was rested on her abdomen as what she had heard kept going through her head.

Gabrielle opened the door and happily walked in and stood before Cuddy's desk. She was happy about today, she knew that she would get her way in court and she knew that no one would be punished except for Eloise. "Here," she said as she laid the papers down on the desk. "I'm still not sure what they are, but I went and got them for you anyways." Gabrielle stopped and watched as Cuddy lifted her hand off her belly and used both hands to grab the papers and stack them.

Cuddy stared at the papers and then blankly thanked Gabrielle. She looked up at the girl standing there. "You and your father know that we have to leave in twenty minutes right?"

"Yeah," Gabrielle said as she was still wondering about Cuddy. "Are you okay? You seem, I don't know. Maybe distracted?"

Cuddy looked up and saw the concern in the young girl's eyes. She knew that Gabrielle meant well, but she couldn't ruin her day. This was her day to be happy about beating Eloise, and telling her what she had heard would only bring her down. "I just got off the phone with my sister, and we got in a fight. Don't worry about it."

Gabrielle didn't believe it, but she knew that in order for someone to lie like that, that they really don't want to bring it up. "Okay, if you say so." Gabrielle slowly turned and walked to the door, but before she left, she stopped and turned back to Cuddy. She shrugged as she rolled her eyes. "Whatever your sister said to you, it really doesn't matter. Even if she is your sister, one person's opinion in this world is so small and irrelevant that it really shouldn't change how you think, especially if it is about something important."

Cuddy stood up as she forced a smile. "Well, I don't think that that should be applied to everything, but thanks."

"I don't know," Gabrielle said. "I think it can apply to almost anything."

Cuddy was about to say something, but stopped and held onto the side of her desk. Gabrielle saw the pain in her face and rushed over to Cuddy's side. "You alright there?" she asked as she gently grabbed her arm.

"I'm fine." Cuddy's breathy answer started to make Gabrielle nervous.

"Do you want me to go get my dad?" Gabrielle asked.

"No need to. I'll be fine," Cuddy reassured. She stood up and walked over to a cabinet to put the papers away.

Gabrielle stood there in confusion as she watched. "Alright then." She stood there for a second and watched just to make sure. "See you in a little bit." With that, Cuddy said goodbye to her and she left the room to go get her father ready for court.


	51. Something Its Not part 1

Chapter 51: Something It's Not (part 1)

House and Gabrielle sat in the courtroom while they waited for Cuddy, who was in the bathroom. House pulled an envelope out of his pocket and stared at it for a minute. "Here." He handed it to Gabrielle.

She took the envelope and looked up at House. "This a card or something?" she asked.

"Just open it," he stated as he kept his eyes down on the envelope.

Gabrielle just shrugged and opened it. On the inside was a picture of a house and with it, some paper work. Slowly turning to look up at him, she smiled. "You went out and got a house." Gabrielle started to laugh. "It'll be the House's house."

"Ha ha, very funny. Now give it back before she comes back," House said.

Gabrielle put the content back into the envelope and handed it back. "I think that's wonderful."

House sighed as he gave the envelope one last glance before sticking it back into his pocket. "You have to admit, my apartment's small for six people. I wouldn't be able to hide away from anyone."

"And what? Watch your porn while pouring a container of vicodin with bourbon?" Gabrielle asked as she looked up to him. "Actually, I really do think it's good that you went out and did this." She looked back to make sure that Cuddy wasn't coming yet and then turned back. "So, when are you going to tell her?"

"Friday it's officially mine, so Friday," House said.

Gabrielle just sat back and smile to herself. This was somehow beginning to all work out. She was going to live with her father and Cuddy and actually have a family.

Cuddy got to the entrance of the courtroom and stood in the doorway for a moment. She knew that she had not been feeling well, but this was starting to get to her. As she stood at the end of the small aisle, it seemed to be getting longer. The room had been spinning and all she wanted to do was to go home and lay down. She knew that she had to get up there sometime, so she started to slowly walk, holding onto each bench for support as she walked past each one. Getting to about the third bench, she heard Eloise beside her.

"I hope you're happy now you bitch. You get to deal with her." Eloise then shoved her shoulder towards the bench as she walked passed her.

Cuddy normally would have been able to withstand the shove, but not now. She fell to her knees as she held onto the bench. Gabrielle and House both noticed what had happened and rushed over to Cuddy's side.

"Something wrong?" House asked as he grabbed her wrist for her pulse.

Cuddy looked up to him. Her eyes were glossy and cold. "As if you care," she weakly snapped. Cuddy pulled her wrist back from House.

"You're heart's beating a little fast there," he said.

"And how slow would your's be if you almost fell hard to the ground and you had a history of miscarrying?" she bitterly asked.

"Did I miss something here?" House asked as he looked over at Gabrielle.

Gabrielle rolled her eyes. "I'm not the one mad at you, she is."

While the two were talking, Cuddy attempted to stand up. She struggled as she tried to get to her knees. House turned from Gabrielle in time to see Cuddy start to fall again. He quickly dropped his cane and grabbed her elbows.

"Are you sure you should even be here right now? You look like you're slowly falling apart," Gabrielle knew the minute that she said that, that it sounded bad, but it was true.

Cuddy shook her head. "I'm just dehydrated. I stopped into the bathroom so I could throw up again."

"I'll go see if I can find any water for you," House said.

Gabrielle sighed as she picked up his cane and went over to his side. "You sure you don't want me to? I can walk."

"Funny," House said. "But I have two women in the room that want me dead right now, and one of them the feeling's mutual so I better leave the room any chance I get."

Gabrielle sighed and held his cane out to him. House looked over at his cane and then back at Cuddy. "Do you think that you can stand on your own for a second?" he asked.

"Yeah," Cuddy answered.

House let go of Cuddy and watched her for a second to make sure she wouldn't fall. After being reassured that she was okay, he took his cane and left the room.

Gabrielle stood before and looked with concern. She was wanting to ask her about what had happened earlier and if this had anything to do with it, but she figured she had better get her to her seat first. "Do you need any help getting there?"

In all honesty, the aisle still looked longer than she had remembered, but she was sure that she could walk it by herself. "No, I just needed some help getting steadied."

"Okay," Gabrielle said. She just watched as Cuddy started to slowly walk, and then followed close behind her. Once they took their seats, Gabrielle just sat back and randomly checked on Cuddy every once in a while until her father returned with a water bottle.

After that, everyone was silent until the judge entered the room. When everyone was asked to rise, they both kept their eyes on Cuddy. As soon as every sat back down was the part that Gabrielle had been waiting for a long time. He looked at both Eloise, and then Cuddy. "After hearing what all of you have had to say about both Dr. Lisa Cuddy and Eloise Zbin, I have given my decision careful consideration." He paused for a moment. "Before I announce the result, do either of you two have anything to say?"

Eloise stood up. "I think this was all done unfairly your honor. The case was tilted towards Ms. Cuddy right after Gabrielle said that she wanted to live with her instead."

"That's because a lot of this trial is based on her opinion. In most cases there is a good reason why a child would lean one way more than the other, so we usually go with that," he answered. "Now, the custody of Gabrielle Zbin, goes to Lisa Cuddy. But, if there are any legitimate complaints of how you are taking care of her, she will be taken from your care. Court is now adjourned."

Everyone rose as the judge left the room. While Cuddy was thanking the lawyer, Gabrielle stood up and threw her arms around House. "Thank you Daddy."

House just slightly smiled as he looked down to her and then looked back up and sighed. "Well, now that that's all over with."

Gabrielle pulled away and smirked. "You have some inability to hug, but that's okay."

"You expected me to be some other way?" he asked.

"Nope," she casually answered.

"Looks like someone didn't have to take her own advice," Cuddy said as she made her way to where Gabrielle was.

Gabrielle smiled as she went over to hug her. "Thank you," she said. "I owe you, a lot."

"I don't think I could have let you go to live with her," Cuddy said and then pulled back from Gabrielle.

Gabrielle stood back and looked at Cuddy. She still looked awful weak, but at least she was able to stand up.

"Feeling better?" House asked as he joined the two.

"Does it matter anymore?" Cuddy bitterly responded.

Gabrielle glanced at House as he stared at Cuddy in shock and then looked over at Cuddy. "I think someone's playing favorites."

"So do I, I'm just not sure with who yet," Cuddy said.

"What the hell did you do?" Gabrielle asked as she looked over at House.

"If I knew, would I be standing here like an idiot?" he asked.

Cuddy suddenly froze. She grabbed her belly and started to double over. Her other hand grabbed onto the edge of the bench. Her body slowly made it to the floor. Gabrielle knelt down beside her, about to ask what was wrong, but Cuddy just leaned her head against her shoulder. Gabrielle just put her arm around Cuddy and looked up to House and sighed. She knew where this was about to go.

House just stood there, his face long as he blankly stared. Cuddy just looked up into his eyes with tears from both physical pain, and the regret of what she had found out. "I guess now it really doesn't matter at all."


	52. Something Its Not part 2

Chapter 52: Something It's Not (part 2)

Gabrielle sat there with Cuddy on the ground as House just stared. He couldn't believe what might have been happening. "I'll go get the car," he blankly stated.

Gabrielle just watched him as he left and then looked down as she kept her arm around Cuddy. There was nothing that she could say or do to help, or at least that she could think of at the moment.

"What's wrong? Baby dieing on you?" Eloise asked as she came up and stood behind the two.

Gabrielle cringed as she slightly turned her head towards Eloise. "Damn it, not now Eloise," she fiercely snapped.

Eloise just rolled her eyes. "Well the tramp doesn't deserve the kid she already has, why should she have this one? If anything I would have felt bad for that baby, thank God it doesn't have to grow up with some dumb floozy as their mother."

Cuddy sat there in shock. The words had hit her like a semi driving into a wall. Gabrielle changed her position so that she was sitting in front of Cuddy. She grabbed Cuddy's shoulders as she began to stand up. "You know that's not true," Gabrielle said and then stood up. Taking a deep breath, she smirked. "You bitch, you realize that if everyone actually got what they deserved that you would have been one of the victims of the Charles Manson cult. Of course, knowing you, they'd ask you to join them."

"How witty," Eloise sarcastically remarked. "Too bad it doesn't mean anything." She only received an eye roll from Gabrielle. "Now why don't you go and stay with you're new family? And what kind of family is it? Oh yeah, this whore over here will probably walk out in a few weeks and then bring home some dead beat boyfriend, because we all know that that is all she can get. Then your father will get strung out on his drugs and alcohol and forget that you ever existed. Then you'll be stuck caring for that bastard child of hers because you're parents are too screwed up to give a damn."

As Gabrielle stood there listening to her, she had started gripping tightly onto the sides of her skirt to keep her nails from digging into her palms. She was gripping so tightly that it got to the point where her hands were starting to shake. Her eyes were filling with tears of frustration. As soon as she heard Eloise stop talking, she quickly and without warning punched her in the face and knocked her down on her back. It had felt good to finally hit back after all this time.

Eloise sat up and wiped the blood that had started leaking from her nose. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Gabrielle stood there and coldly looked down to her. "I thought I would show you what it feels like. Szuka." With that she turned and walked back over to Cuddy and knelt down before her. "You think you could stand up and walk to the car?" she gently asked. Cuddy nodded. Gabrielle stood up and held her hands out to her. She grabbed them and slowly pulled herself up. It was hard for her to really stand since she was still in pain, but she was able to manage.

Gabrielle put her arm around Cuddy and guided her as they slowly walked. "I'm sorry if I rushed you at all, I just couldn't stand to see her anymore."

"It's okay," Cuddy breathily answered as they turned the corner into the hall.

Gabrielle looked over to Cuddy with sympathy. "Only a little bit longer and you can sit down."

Cuddy closed her eyes and then stared straight forward. "I don't want to alarm you, but I think I'm about to pass out."

Gabrielle stopped and opened the door. "I have to admit, you're scaring me."

"Doesn't matter," Cuddy said. She weakly looked up. "I'm starting to think that I was meant to end up alone anyways," she said starting to cry.

"Where is this coming from?" Gabrielle asked with concern as she looked over to her. "You have me, and daddy, and Wilson and even Rachel, she listens better than you think." She tried to slightly smile, but only sighed as she helped down the steps. "We're not going to abandon you if something does go wrong."

Cuddy just looked up and shook her head. It was hard for her to believe what she was hearing. It was as if all of all House's reasons for staying with her were all disappearing one by one.

House went to watch the two, but could barely even glance. From the moment he saw Cuddy down on the ground, clutching her stomach, he went numb. He was able to be there the other times when she had miscarried, but this time was certainly different. This time, it was his own babies. This time the loss would be equally his.

Gabrielle opened the back door and Cuddy slid into the seat and Gabrielle took the one next to her. There was a silence as Cuddy just stared. It looked as if her entire life had collapsed around her, which was truly how she felt.

Gabrielle saw the look in Cuddy's eyes and put her hand on her shoulder and started to gently rub in little circles before she turned any of her attention to her father. "Daddy," she called as she slightly leaned forward.

"Yes?" he asked.

"I now know what it feels like to beat the devil himself. I punched Eloise in the face and most likely broke her nose," Gabrielle explained.

House nodded in approval. "Cuddy usually wouldn't approve of this, but how did it feel?" He knew it had to feel good, he himself had been stuck with that witch and wanted to punch her, well strangle her, but the punching sufficed.

Gabrielle smirked. "I think when I lose my virginity, I'll put it up above sex."

"Yet part of what she says is true," Cuddy weakly stated. She had heard the mention of Eloise, but at the moment was oblivious to what they were actually talking about.

Gabrielle slightly laughed. "Let me get this straight. You won't believe anything that I or Daddy says, but you're going to believe something that came from a stupid old bitch who's probably screaming that her already screwed up face is wrecked?"

"Which do you think would stick with you?" Cuddy snapped.

Gabrielle jumped a little. She took her back away from Cuddy's shoulder and sat back. "I'm sorry."

They pretty much stayed silent the rest of the way to the hospital. Gabrielle was afraid to say anything to Cuddy since she knew that all she would do at this point would be to upset her more, and House didn't want to say anything because he knew that all that would happen would be that Cuddy would snap at him and Gabrielle would question what he had done. The only time that Gabrielle opened her mouth again was when they were almost at the hospital.

Gabrielle turned and looked at Cuddy as she nervously stared down towards the floor. "How are you doing? You think you can make it through the lobby or do you want to say screw it and let the secret out when I help you in?"

Cuddy just sighed and thought for a minute. With the weakness clearly showing in her face, she looked over at Gabrielle. "The pain eased up a little, so I think I can try and act like everything is normal."

They pulled up into the parking lot and House drove around until he got to the front door. "I'll go park the car in the garage." He paused for a minute and then looked back at Gabrielle. "You keep an eye on her." His tone had been the most serious she had ever heard from him.

"I will," she said as she studied his facial features. She could easily see that he was about as worried and upset as Cuddy was, but was trying to hide it.

House waited for the two to get out and make their way to the door. He could see Cuddy trying to straighten herself out on the way to the entrance as Gabrielle stayed by her side. House then drove away to the garage, where he park the car and blankly stared. Leaning his head back, he reached into his pocket and grabbed his vicodin. He really didn't care how many he took, so he just poured some into his hand without looking and threw them into his mouth. A moment after swallowing, he grabbed his cane and left the car, slamming the door behind him.

House walked into the entrance and kept his head down. There was no way he wanted to talk to anyone at the moment. If anything, he just wanted to get to his office and hide for the rest of the day. He almost made it to the elevator, but Wilson caught up to him as he waited for the doors to open.

"How did it go today?" Wilson asked. He had known that today was the day that the Judge gave his decision.

"How did what go today?" House asked with annoyance rimming his voice.

Wilson scrunched his eyebrows in confusion as he thought for a moment. "Court? Didn't you win?" he asked, hoping that House was currently more irritated than usual by something else that had gone wrong.

House looked up as he impatiently waited for the doors to open before him. "Kids all ours."

Wilson rolled his eyes. "It was hard to miss with all this joy you're putting out."

The doors finally opened. "Well, sorry you have to be cut off from all the joy," he said as he stepped onto the elevator.

Wilson followed right behind him and went to stand by his side. "Don't worry, I'm only going to my office," he said upon seeing House glare at him. "But, if you do have something to say…"

"Hmm," House responded as he pretended to actually give it some thought. "Nope, I think I would have said it by now."

Wilson shook his head as he laughed. "I don't get it House," he said as he looked to him. "How could you possibly be mad at anything? You have a fiancée, you just won the daughter you didn't know you had, you have twins on the way."

When Wilson mentioned the twins, it struck a nerve and he internally cringed. "Trust me, it's not that hard with you here!" he nearly yelled.

Wilson was taken aback by the reaction, but it didn't stop him. This only showed him that there was something truly wrong.

The doors opened to their floor and they walked out together. "House? What happened?" He was going to be persistent as he walked beside him.

"Will you leave me alone if I tell you?" House asked as he stopped and turned to him.

"Sure," Wilson agreed.

They both entered Wilson's office. House went directly to the couch as Wilson closed the door behind him and stood there before his friend. House just sat there and stared off to the side. "Well?" Wilson asked.

House just looked up to him. "We think she lost the twins," he bluntly announced.

Wilson's face dropped. There was nothing but pure concern in his eyes. "Oh God," he softly said.

"Both Gabi and I noticed that she wasn't herself and then as we were getting ready to leave she doubled over in pain. I had to go get the car and Gabi had to help her out." It was hard for House to see Cuddy like this, and talking about it, wasn't really what he wanted to do, but it was the only thing on his mind.

*******************

Cuddy was laying in her bed as Gabrielle sat beside her. They both kept looking to the door to see if House was going to show up. The young girl sighed. "I texted him telling where."

"I don't think he wants to be here." This was where her worst fears were starting to set in. He wasn't coming because he didn't care anymore. Gabrielle was his, the babies were most likely gone, so why stay together?

Gabrielle looked over as she tried to find the best wording for what she had to say. "You know, I don't want to kick you when you're down, but it probably has something to do with the way you have been treating him today. He most likely just thinks that you don't want him here, and quite honestly, I wouldn't blame him for taking it that way."

The words stung Cuddy as she stared forward. "You didn't hear what I heard." Her voice began to crack as she held back tears.

"Yeah?" Gabrielle asked. She leaned towards her in the chair and rested her folded arms on the railing of the bed. "What did you hear?"

"I was going to Wilson's office this morning and I heard…." she trailed off. Cuddy stopped as soon as she heard Gabrielle start to laugh. "What?"

Gabrielle just smiled. "I'm guessing that out of all of that, you heard that he was going to leave you or that he would have left you."

"Yeah," Cuddy answered with confusion.

Gabrielle laughed again. "You wanna know who he was leaving you for?"

"I don't see how this is at all funny!" Cuddy finally snapped. She had started getting a little annoyed when Gabrielle had started laughing, but now this was really getting to her. It was hard for her to believe that anyone could laugh about what had happened.

Gabrielle tried her hardest to straighten out her face. She looked Cuddy square in the eyes and kept as serious as possible. "He was leaving you so that he could elope with me." It was hard for her to even stop laughing after that point, let alone to keep a straight face. Gabrielle laid her forehead down on her arms as she tried to calm herself down.

Cuddy's eyes widened. She grabbed Gabrielle's arm and frantically pulled herself so that she could sit up more and face Gabrielle. "You mean that I was mad over some morbid inside joke?"

Gabrielle raised her head and nodded. She wanted to say something, but couldn't through the laughter. After her few seconds of laughter, she got herself to calm down. Her eyes suddenly went to sympathetic. "Someone's had a rough day."

Before Cuddy could say anything, the doctor walked in and announced that they were going to take her off for an ultrasound and to do some blood work. Gabrielle stood up and hugged Cuddy. "Good luck."

"Thanks," Cuddy said before she let go.

Gabrielle walked out into the hall and then sighed. "Now to go see how the other one is doing," she said as she headed towards House's office.

*****************

House stepped out of Wilson's office and slowly closed the door behind him. All he wanted to do right now was just go home and try to forget about everything that had happened. The only problem with that was that he could not leave that hospital without knowing that Cuddy was alright. It wouldn't feel right to him to leave knowing that she could be lying there getting over another miscarriage.

With the thoughts of Cuddy fogging over everything else, House headed straight for his office. The door swung open and he carelessly dropped his cane. Nothing mattered to him at the moment as he made the way to his chair and sat there.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw his desk chair turned to face the window, and his red and grey tennis ball being thrown up into the air repeatedly. "Gabi?" he asked.

The chair slowly turned around to reveal Gabrielle sitting there. She set the ball back down on the desk and sat back. "How are you doing?" she gently asked.

"I don't think we've ever resorted to small talk before," House stated.

Gabrielle could see that this wasn't going to be going anywhere soon. Even the simplest question was going to go unanswered. "Look," she started as she leaned forward. "Cuddy's not mad at you anymore, the whole thing was a misunderstanding. She thought you were actually going to leave her because of something that she heard while we joking around in Wilson's office. Long story short, she's sorry, and she needs you right now."

House just looked over. Guilt was starting to settle in, the feeling that he had left her alone when she wanted him there, which was what happened. "How long ago was this figured out?" he asked.

"Well, I'd say a little under an hour ago. I've been here for about a half hour just kind of wondering where you were," Gabrielle said.

They both sat there silently. House just stared straight forward as he wondered about what was going to happen now. Right now, nothing looked to good to him because he knew that Cuddy either lost the twins, or has some serious health problem.

Gabrielle just watched him for a second. "You know, you're gonna make a pretty awesome dad."

"I know. I'm easy access to drugs and you can outrun me when you get in caught taking them," House responded.

Gabrielle rolled her eyes at first, but the more thought she gave it, the more she realized that it was true. "That's not what I meant. Most parents lie and sugar coat the truth, and you have no idea how annoying that is at times. You on the other hand would just come out and tell you're children what they need to hear. Some one they know ends up in the hospital in critical condition, most parents would just say that 'oh don't worry, grandma's just sick and needs her rest. I'm sure that she'll be fine.' Not you, you would actually tell them that Grandma had a stroke which means that she might die soon and actually prepare them for what might happen." Gabrielle sat back in the chair and looked down at the desk. "When I was little, everyone lied to me about my mom's drinking problem. I was always told that she was on vacation." Her head shot up showing the irritation in her eyes. "You know how agitating that is? I knew what was going on. I could see those bottles she had, I could read, and most of all, I knew someone who was as sick as her at time would not be going on vacation."

House leaned his head back and looked up towards the ceiling. "You telling me that I would tell my kids all my problems?"

Gabrielle laughed. "I hadn't even known you for an hour and you flashed me your vicodin. I can't see you telling them that it's candy, even though that's not a complete lie when it comes to you is it?"

The door opened and a young nurse walked in and stood before House with a small envelope. "Doctor Cuddy told me to give this to you. She just got back to her room."

"What is it?" House asked as he snatched the note from the nurse's hand.

"I don't know," she admitted.

"Hard to believe that you didn't peek," he said as he began to open it. He started to pull the folded up note out, but looked up and saw the nurse still standing there. "Are you apart of his in some way that I don't know about?"

"No," she nervously answered and then cautiously left as he watched her.

House continued to pull the note out and read it over. His face softened as he reread a few times.

Gabrielle knew from the beginning that it was going to be about the babies and was anxious to know what it said. "So?"

House slowly looked over as he held the note open for her to see. "I'm still going to be a father."

Gabrielle smiled as she stood up and walked over to where he had dropped his cane at. She picked it up and carried it to him. "Congratulations. Let's go see her."

Without saying anything, he took his cane and stood up. They both walked out of the office and started towards Cuddy's room.

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and since this is going to be the last one before Christmas, I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. **


	53. Yes, House is a Father

Chapter 53: Yes, House is a Father

Gabrielle and House quietly walked into Cuddy's room and checked to make sure that she was still awake. Cuddy looked over and slightly smiled at the two. "I'm still pregnant," she announced.

House walked over and stood at her bedside. He leaned down and kissed her before taking his seat next to the bed.

Gabrielle stood back against the wall and smiled as she watched the two. There were no words exchanged between them, but, with those two, actions spoke louder than words. House reached over and grabbed her shoulder for a minute as he stared to her with what seemed like a bitter sweet look. Cuddy just sighed and grabbed his hand.

"What do they think?" House asked.

Cuddy looked up to him. The smile had faded from her face. "Most likely chronic pancreatitis."

"What does that mean?" Gabrielle asked clearing the silence that had fallen over the room.

House turned his attention to her. "Well, it heightens the risk of a miscarriage, health problems." He sighed, and almost subconsciously pulled his hand out from underneath Cuddy's and grabbed her hand. He comfortingly squeezed it. "But, if you take care of yourself, which I know you will to the point where you'll seem paranoid, you won't have too much trouble." He turned back to her. "And after the twins are born, I might have to share my magic pills with mommy."

"That right there is a lovely thought," she sarcastically remarked. She sat there for a minute and then looked up to him. "I have to apologize for earlier."

Gabrielle could see that they needed to be alone and softly smiled as she slipped out of the room.

House just shook his head. "Gab already explained." He raised his eyebrow to her. "Although, coming from the woman who tells me to stay out of other people's business, I find it surprising that you go around listening in on conversations."

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "I was going to open the door you know," she said with offense.

"I guess next time you will," he said, but not as teasingly as he had intended it to be.

Cuddy stared straight into his blue eyes while hers were laced with hurt. "And I guess next time you won't run out."

Those were the words to hit him. He could see her eyes beginning to water and the guilt settled in. "I won't," he said blankly staring. At the moment that was the only thing that he could think to say.

They both sat there not knowing what to say to each other. House leaned in and kissed her. She accepted the kiss as she felt his hand gently lay on top of her belly. She felt that that meant more than anything that he would ever say. She took her hand and laid it on top of his.

Cuddy sighed. "I think you should get back to your office. I'm sure your team will have some questions." House just looked to her with confusion, but before he could ask, she continued. "Cameron was in the ER at the time that I was there and she knows about the pregnancy, she just doesn't know that you're the father."

"I see," House said and then stood up. "I guess they've already started to put the pieces together if she had said anything to them."

"I doubt she did, but you know how quickly things spread if the nurses find things out and then tell others. You had better go tell them something before they start asking Gabi down there," Cuddy said.

"Well, she'll keep her mouth shut until I get down there," House said. He turned and walked out of the room. To his surprise, she was standing right outside the door. "Eavesdropping?" he asked.

Gabrielle looked up to him. She had been leaning against the opposite wall from the door. "Nope. Just felt like waiting for you I guess." She sighed and stood up as House closed the door to the room. "How is she?"

House started walking down the hall and Gabrielle followed him. "The same as she was when you had left the room."

"Wonderful," Gabrielle said.

House looked over and raised his eyebrow. "What? You were with her most of the time."

"Why weren't you?" Gabrielle asked.

House stopped and turned to her. He knew why, and he was sure that she also picked up on the answer.

Gabrielle stood there and waited for the answer, that obviously was not coming. "It's not that hard to tell. You were scared. The one fear that had been stuck in the backs of both of your guy's heads was becoming real to you." Gabrielle shrugged as she softly laughed. "I mean, I know you're not afraid of Cuddy herself when she's mad. The only thing you could have been afraid of was, losing Cuddy."

House just rolled his eyes. "And did you stay by her the entire time out of guilt? Or were you trying to make sure that she wouldn't stop acting like mommy to you?"

Gabrielle shook her head and smiled, covering the fact that those words actually hit her. "Don't turn this around on me. You were afraid to walk in that door because you were afraid that she was never going to talk to you again and you wouldn't know why. You didn't want to walk in there and be told that she didn't want you there."

House leaned on his cane and raised his eyebrows. "What's that? You're avoiding my question?"

Gabrielle's shoulders quickly dropped. "Fine! Okay?" Tears started to build up in her eyes. "You're right, I do like being around people who care about me." Her hands moved to her hips as she looked towards the ceiling and took a deep breath to calm herself. "But you know what?" she asked as she looked back to him. "I also know how it feels to be hurt and think that no one cares. I know that there are millions of people out there who don't give a damn, and that's okay, but when your own family turns on you when you're hurt, it feels horrible." Gabrielle just sighed. "And right now, we are her family. She thought you were against her, and I just couldn't let her think that she was going to be alone." Gabrielle shrugged with defeat and then motioned to him. "And you're right. I did feel guilty about what I had put her through. But again, I still would have been there if she had done nothing to help out with the trial." Gabrielle's face softened as she looked up to her father. "Don't be so afraid to trust that someone won't hurt you, especially those who need you."

House stood up straight and watched her as she walked down the hall towards the elevator. He just looked down towards the floor for a minute before following her down to his office.

**************

The team joined by Chase and Cameron sat around in the quiet room. Chase had been the one to ask them if they had known anything about what had happened. All they seemed to know was that Cuddy was pregnant and that House had been hanging around her a lot.

"You think its his?" Thirteen asked from her seat in the back.

Walked over and handed her her cup of coffee as he took his seat. "House?" It was hard for him to even believe that Gabrielle was his daughter.

"I don't know, he does seem to have the hots for her," Taub mentioned.

"And you did say that Cuddy was helping out with Gabrielle's trial. You have to be a little close to someone to do something like that for their kid," Cameron added. She was able to see it with the present situation.

Chase looked over to his wife. "Cuddy? Just because she's helping out with a kid doesn't mean anything. You've all seen how she is with kids."

Thirteen just looked over at him and pulled out a few twenty dollar bills. "Bet a hundred its his."

Chase looked down and thought for a moment. Nodding in agreement, he pulled out his money and laid it on the table. "Alright, you're on."

Kutner walked over to the whiteboard and wrote down the letter of everyone's first names. Next to the Ch, he wrote a 'no' and then went down and wrote 'yes' next to the Th. He then went down and wrote a 'yes' next to the K. "Count me in," he said tossing his money onto the pile.

Cameron smiled as she pulled out her share. "Who says he can't be romantic?" she asked laying her money down. Chase looked over at her with surprise.

"I do," Foreman said adding his money.

Taub stepped up to the table. "I guess I'll be the final yes." He put the money down and sighed.

Kutner looked over the board. "Four to two, obviously we don't all see it as impossible."

House and Gabrielle walked into the room and everyone became silent. "What? Planning an orgy or something?"

"Wouldn't that be your department?" Gabrielle asked.

"That's why I'm offended." House walked over and looked at the whiteboard. "Well, look at that. Cameron, Thirteen, Taub, and Kutner won."

"You know what we're betting on?" Kutner asked.

House turned and walked over to grab a cup of coffee. "Whether or not I'm the father of Cuddy's baby right?" There was a silence that he took as a yes. "And the letters with the yes next to them, mean that they think I'm the father right?" Another silence. "Boy you're all talkative tonight."

"Well, I guess that I should also tell you about her involvement in the trial. She's now my mom to," Gabrielle said.

"I'm telling that you took ownership of her," House said.

"You jealous?" Gabrielle innocently asked. "Tell me, is it mine or her attention you're after."

"How did you….?" Chase trailed off.

"We live together," House answered without any hesitation. "And in a little while, you'll be calling her doctor House to."

Everyone in the room just turned and looked to him with shock. This only caused Gabrielle to laugh. "I think you gave them more then they were ready for."

House just shrugged. "Come on, we need to go talk to Wilson." With that, both House and Gabrielle walked out of the room.


	54. Chances

Chapter 54: Chances

Cuddy woke up the next morning feeling a lot better than she had the day before. It took her a minute as she sat up, but she remembered that she was in the hospital. Setting her hand down on the railing, she felt something, it was a cane handle. A smile spread across her face as she looked over and saw House sleeping in the chair next to the bed. Suddenly, she didn't feel so alone, a feeling that she had longed for the last few days. She was about to say something, but waking him would only ruin the moment. It wasn't that she didn't want to talk to him, it was that, like this, it was easy to tell that he had been there for her. Instead she just sat back and watched him.

"Morning Lisa," House gruffly greeted with his eyes still closed and head still back.

Cuddy just continued to contently watch him. "Good morning," she barely whispered.

House opened his eyes and looked over. "You need to get more comfortable chairs." House lifted his legs up and slid them off the chair across from him that he had used to prop his feet up on. "What is today?" he asked rubbing his eyes.

"April fifteenth, I think," she absently answered.

"I meant day of the week," House said lifting his head from his hands. "Wednesday?"

"Yeah," Cuddy looked over with confusion. "Why?"

"I have to get our daughter to the airport by five I think," he said while yawning.

There was something with what he had just said, and Cuddy caught onto it. She had noticed that he had just called Gabrielle their daughter. It was obvious that it was on accident, and she didn't want to start anything, so she just smiled to herself.

House sat up for a minute and tried to fully wake up. "How are you feeling?"

Cuddy shrugged. "The pain is gone, but I'm still nervous, and tired." Her head leaned back as she stared up at the ceiling.

House knew exactly what was going through her head right now. He to was worried, but he didn't want to see Cuddy completely stressed out, if anything, she just needed to rest. "You act as if you've already lost them."

Cuddy slowly turned her head to him. "Greg, we both know that there is something. What happened yesterday just doesn't happen."

House gave her a sympathetic look. He reached over and gently squeezed her shoulder.

The silence was broken as a doctor walked in. He examined the chart and then turned his attention to Cuddy. "Doctor Cuddy, you had a case pancreatitis. Most likely chronic." He went back and looked through a couple of papers. "This does heighten your risk of miscarriage, but you also could give birth to two healthy babies, which is more likely if you take care of yourself."

Cuddy nodded as she thanked the doctor. Once he left she turned to House, no emotion in her face, but there was so much more lurking behind her eyes, the fear, the nervousness, the anger. There were words right on the tip of her tongue, but something kept her from speaking at all.

House stood up and motioned for her to move over. Once there was a space clear, he sat beside her and held her in his arms. He knew that she was able to handle a lot, getting hurt, betrayed, but this was different. This was what she wanted most and she was getting let down time after time.

Cuddy draped her arm over him and rested her head on his chest. The only comfort she had at the moment was in his arms. It was true that the doctor had told her she had a good chance, but that was awful hard for her to believe with the way her luck was with babies. Every failure that she had had, only lessened her hopes. Now, chances were not enough to actually satisfy her, she needed to know that this would work.

House looked over and then down to her. "What names you like?" he asked.

"Really Greg?" she asked.

"I thought that was something you women liked to talk about when you are about to have a baby." He could see that she wasn't convinced, so he decided to throw out some names himself. He was about to joke around say that he liked the name Stacey, but bit his tongue. "How about…..Danielle?" Random, but it worked. He shrugged, "works for a boy to, Daniel."

Cuddy smirked. "And I suppose the other names would have been Samantha and Samuel."

"Why not?" House asked.

Cuddy just rolled her eyes. If both twins survived, she honestly did not care what they were named. All that mattered was that she would have two more healthy children. She was about to doze off, but the door opened and she lifted her head to see who it was.

"Hey Gabs," House greeted.

Gabrielle had only stuck her head into the room. "Should I come by later?" she asked.

"No, come in," Cuddy said as she sat up.

Gabrielle brightly smiled. "Okay, I've got a surprise for you." Gabrielle walked in with Rachel in her arms. She was back into the jeans and t-shirt that most people were used to, and seemed happier. "Someone missed you last night."

Cuddy smiled as she pulled away from House and sat up. Gabrielle approached the bed and hesitated to hand the baby over. "Are you sure you're up to holding her?"

Cuddy sighed. "I'm already stuck in a bed and the pain is gone, I think I can handle my own kid for a few minutes."

Gabrielle just laughed as she handed Rachel over to Cuddy. She waited a minute before walking around and sitting in the chair that House had slept in the previous night. "So, how are you doing? Feeling any better?"

Cuddy looked up from her daughter and shrugged. "There's no more pain, but I do have pancreatitis."

Gabrielle still wasn't very sure about what that really meant, but she could see that it bothered Cuddy. "It really could be worse. I mean, you still have a chance and you still have the twins. Yesterday we all thought you had neither."

Cuddy gave her a small smile and went back to paying attention to Rachel. "Did someone miss me?" she asked tickling the little baby. "Well someone missed you."

House and Gabrielle exchanged looks and then went back to watching as Rachel laughed in Cuddy's arms. "And how are you?" she asked her dad.

"Trust me, when I take enough pills I can sleep good anywhere," he said. "How did you manage last night?"

Gabrielle shrugged. "Wilson took me back to the apartment and he offered to pay for dinner for me and he stayed for a little bit to make sure that I had everything under control. Then I got Rachel to sleep, I went to sleep. She woke me up at five, and Wilson came to pick me up and here we are." She suddenly remembered something that was sort of important. "Oh yeah, and I'm going to have to leave in about ten minutes. Wilson has plans to go out to lunch with someone and he's going to drop Rachel off with her nanny and then take me to the airport. I got an earlier flight out to Cleveland."

"So this is your final hurrah hurrah here?" House asked.

"Yep yep." Gabrielle softly smiled. "And then in a couple months I can come back and officially move in with you."

"Congrats," House said without even looking over.

Gabrielle rolled her eyes. "And you're such a loving father." She wrapped her arms around him and kissed his cheek. "Thank you," she said and then stood up and laughed. "You still can't handle that can you?"

"I'm not exactly cute and cuddly," he answered.

Shaking her head, she walked around to Cuddy's side. Before she went to hug her, Cuddy handed Rachel over to House.

He looked down automatically grabbed his cane and allowed her to put the handle in her mouth. "There you go kid. Maybe when your teeth grow in you can chew through it like Wilson's dumb dog did."

Gabrielle laughed and then turned her attention back to Cuddy and hugged her. "Thank you." She pulled back. "I hope everything works out for you," she looked over at House who teasing Rachel with his cane by trying to tug on it, "both of you."

"Thanks," Cuddy said. She took Rachel back and said goodbye to her before handing her over to Gabrielle.

"Goodbye. I'll call you when I get to Marcy's," she said as she made her way to the door.

"You act as if I'll answer the phone," House said.

Gabrielle stopped at the door and turned around. "Why? You worried I might cut into your phone sex time?"

"Haha, very funny. Now leave before you miss your flight. I only have a couple months left of freedom, I don't want you taking that away from me," he said.

Gabrielle just smiled. "Just clean up your computer area, it's still sticky." With that, she waved goodbye and left.

Cuddy sighed as she watched her leave. After Gabrielle she looked back up at House and laid back down on his chest.

**HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**


	55. Moving On

Chapter 55: Moving On

House sat on the couch with a pocket knife in his hand as he ripped through the tape on the box before him. It was beginning to get very late, around one in the morning, but he had to get this done. At the moment he was sitting in what would be his new house. The house was officially his on Friday, but that was the day that Cuddy got out of the hospital and he wanted to surprise her that day, but, slipping in a couple days early was not a problem since the original owners were gone.

He had left Rachel with Wilson for the night, so there really was no rush for him to leave. The only thing that he had to consider was that he had to be back at the hospital at ten in the morning to go get Cuddy.

He had spent Wednesday night on the upstairs rooms, mainly their bedroom. There were three other rooms, which worked out perfectly, they weren't that big, but they worked. The only way he could have gotten as much done as he did, was he told Cuddy that he had a case to work on and then had his team come out and help move furniture into the house.

"Dishes," he mumbled himself. He hadn't labeled any of the boxes so everyone was a surprise to him. Sighing, he stood up and carried the box to the kitchen and set it down on the table. "I should have kept everyone later. Told them their paycheck was at risk if they left," he rambled off in the silence.

Once the dishes were put away, he went back out into the living room. Still there were scattered boxes. "Why did I bring so many things?" he complained to himself.

* * *

House entered Cuddy's room, he was late, but he got there. "Hey, you ready?"

Cuddy quickly turned from the window. "Yeah." She went and grabbed her bag, but House took it from her. "Thank you," she was a little surprised.

This was his chance to really surprise her, and he didn't want something little to ruin it. He kept his arm around her and then got the car door for her. "You know, most people tell their passengers where they're driving." House stopped for a moment with his hands gripped on the steering wheel and then looked to her. "But I'm not most people."

Cuddy widened her eyes as he started the car and pulled out of the parking space. "Greg, I know this might strike you as strange, but I just got out of the hospital and I want to go home."

House just smiled as he drove out of the garage. "Now what would life be without risks?"

Cuddy sat back and closed her eyes. "Where are you taking me?" she asked, even if she did know that he would never answer that.

House shrugged. "I don't know. I just thinking that maybe I could just drive until the gas runs out."

Cuddy just sat there and rolled her eyes. She really had no idea as to what to expect, so she just went with it.

There was about fifteen minutes of silence as they drove to their new house. Cuddy turned to House as soon as they pulled into the driveway. "Why are we here?"

House just got out and went around to her side to open the door. She was cautious about the situation, but just followed his lead as he walked her to the front porch. He stopped and pulled the key out of his pocket to jingle it in front of her face before unlocking the door. "Welcome home Lisa."

Cuddy's face lit up as her eyes filled with tears. He had actually gone out and taken a huge step for her.

House just looked up towards the house. "I thought the apartment was a bit small for six people."

Cuddy smiled as she slowly moved closer to him. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him. "Thank you," she said still keeping her arms around him.

House just smiled down at her and then lead her into their new house.

*******************

Gabrielle, Marcy and Doug were gathered around the picnic table on the back porch. They were watching the sunset as they waited for Heather to get back so that they could all go out to eat. Marcy had noticed Gabrielle playing with her phone all night and finally decided to ask. "Are you waiting for something important there?" she asked while starting to laugh.

Gabrielle wasn't really paying attention to anyone. "Cuddy's going home today." She was somewhat oblivious to the fact that no one else around her knew what she was talking about. She didn't care about that at the moment though. What she did care about was how everything went with the house and how Cuddy was doing.

"Duh Marcy," Doug joked. "Jeeze, don't you keep up on anything?"

Gabrielle sighed and looked up. She knew it would take a minute for Marcy to think, so she just went ahead and jumped in. "I heard your girlfriend asks the same question after you try to last longer than ten seconds."

Doug gave her the finger. "Leave Annie out of this."

A moment of silence passed as Gabrielle went back to looking at her phone. "You two really want to know what's going on?" she asked. It was starting to feel like maybe she should tell her friends, they've trusted her with enough stuff, why not give them a chance. "Go ahead and ask any questions you want."

Marcy was the first to go. "Why were you out in New Jersey for so long?"

Gabrielle sat back and sighed. That was the big one to start everything. "Custody battle. My dad's fiancée versus my Aunt Eloise." There was no doubt in her head that this was going to bring about a lot of questions, the ones that she had never really wanted to talk about in the first place.

"Your dad's fiancée and your aunt?" Marcy asked. She and Doug were now interested.

"Yep." Gabrielle sighed. "My Aunt Eloise was supposed to have legal custody of me, but she abused me and I hated her and my dad wanted to take me in. The only problem with that, is that he has been on trial for drug use before, narcotics, which lowered his chances, so Cuddy stepped up and fought for me."

"Wow Zbin, do you have like two separate lives going on?" Doug asked.

"I guess." She shrugged and glanced between the two. "Fun out here, and then hell in Maine. Now, I have a family to move in with back in New Jersey."

Marcy laid her head on her hands. "So, what are they like?"

Gabrielle shrugged. "My Dad seems to have problems with the entire human race, he never candy coats anything, just tells you the straight truth. He's a smart ass. He notices everything. Stubborn, arrogant. He's a doctor."

"Gee, I wonder how you noticed he was your father?" Marcy sarcastically asked.

"Rich?" Doug asked. He received a nod from her and then held his hand up for a high five. "Alright, going into money!"

Gabrielle just laughed as she gave him a high five. "Then there's Cuddy, well, her name's Lisa, but she's also a doctor and they all use last names. She I think like owns the place, the most I know is that she's the boss of my dad and that they pretty much get hot when ever they would fight. Anyways, she's nice, obviously, she went against Eloise for me. She's stubborn to, perfectionist, workaholic." Gabrielle paused for a moment and pursed her lips. "And she's pregnant with twins and she has a baby girl that she adopted a little while ago."

"Well, you just went from a family of two people to a family of six," Marcy said. She leaned over and patted her friend on the shoulder. "Good luck with that."

"It's not bad." Gabrielle shrugged. "Rachel's cute, and I'm sure that the twins will be. Best part yet, I'm a heavy sleeper."

"I'll vouch for that," Doug said. He widened his eyes as he turned to Marcy. "I hit her seven times, the only response I got was when she kicked me in her sleep." He bitterly turned to Gabrielle. "Bitch got me between the legs."

Gabrielle teasing turned to him with a pouty face. "Aw, I'm sorry. You want me to kiss it and make it better?"

Doug just started to laugh. "You're such a pervert."

Gabrielle laughed. "I know," she said. After a moment she stopped and looked to him. "I'm sorry about that. Are we cool?"

"Yeah, I think somewhere in my life, I've deserved that," he said.

"Well, I won't punish you tomorrow. Andy said he'll be the one to take me shopping for gifts for all of them," Gabrielle said.

They were all about to leave the table, but Gabrielle's phone rang. "Hello?" she calmly answered after she rather quickly grabbed the phone. She sat there and listened for a minute. "That's great…….What did she think of the house?" Gabrielle sat there and smiled, but suddenly her face dropped. "Oh God," said starting to get nervous.


	56. Cuddy's Nightmare

Chapter 56: Cuddy's Nightmare

Gabrielle hung up her phone and saw Doug and Marcy standing over her as they awaited an explanation. She knew what they wanted, but she had already said enough. "You've all heard quite enough today," she said as she stood up. "You didn't think something important happened did?"

It was hard for Marcy to tell whether she was explaining that there was nothing to worry about or if there was some sort of sarcasm. "Whatever you say."

*******************

Cuddy paced back and forth in the living room with a slight limp and a bandage around her wrist. All the images were like photos imprinted in her memory. Every muscle in her body was tense, and she knew that if anything were to go wrong right now, she wouldn't be able to handle it. All she needed was a day, just a day to get over what had just happened, and she would have been fine.

"Lisa, I think the point of time off is to relax," he said.

Cuddy turned to him and shook her head. "Is that what you expect me to do? Just act as if nothing happened?" Her cold eyes were focused on him, as she had snapped at him. Their eyes kept contact with each other for a moment until she had turned her back to him and walked to the window. With her arms folded, she looked out and studied the outside. "A few months ago, my only concerns were the hospital and Rachel." She paused for a minute to prevent the tears of frustration that were forming. "Then just like that, I have everything to worry about. My boyfriend wanted me gone, Eloise wanted to make sure that I paid for what I had chosen to do, it was just made harder for me to actually carry a baby full term."

House looked around for a second and then sat forward. "If you haven't noticed yet, you're still alive, out of jail and pregnant, hence, you really should just relax."

Cuddy just rolled her eyes. "He could have killed me. I watched him kill himself." She slowly turned to him. "I don't see how that can be very settling."

House stood up and went over to her. He wrapped his arm around her and took her to the couch to sit down with him. As soon as she was seated, he started to rub her back. "I don't think he's going to come after you now, but you did just come out of the hospital and if you want a chance with that baby, you should really consider calming down and getting some rest." He could still feel that her muscles were tense.

"He was in my bedroom, waiting for me." Cuddy sat there absentminded and nervously fiddled with her hands. "He was sitting there on the edge of the bed with a knife in his hand." She turned to look at House, whose blue eyes were glued to her with interest. "I went to run away, and he jumped up. He grabbed my wrist, I fought him off, he feel, the knife sliced my wrist and he stabbed me in the back of the leg as I left."

"And you turned around just in time to see him drive the knife into his heart," House didn't need to hear the rest. All he had known up until now was that she had been attacked and that Mike Suder had killed himself. "Maybe we should call it a night and go to bed." He stood up and went to the staircase.

Cuddy turned around to face the staircase and looked to him as if he was crazy. "Do you really expect me to be able to go to sleep right now?"

"Just come on," he hadn't realized that he had sounded as harsh as he did until he saw her face. He simply stood there and waited for her to join him, which did work since she gave in within seconds.

Cuddy was lead by House up the stairs, which, now that she saw him limp up them, thought that wasn't the brightest thing he had done. They got up to the bedroom and got ready for bed. As soon as Cuddy got into the covers, House laid down beside her and protectively held her close to him. She laid on top of him and tried to calm herself. "I should have went in there with you," she heard him mumble, more to himself. After discovering his guilt, she leaned up and kissed him. In all truth, she knew that he would have fought Mike, and that he would have gotten hurt worse than she had.

"What was that for?" House asked as he brushed her hair back from her face.

Cuddy didn't want to soil the moment with what she had to say, but figured that he should hear it. "You could have been a jerk earlier about how I got myself into this, but you weren't." It was inevitable that she would hear about it sometime, that everyone in a while if she ever brought up the people that she would date, it would come up, but he kept his mouth shut right now when she needed him to.

House kept his eyes down on her. The words had cut through him, but he didn't get up and walk away, nor did he argue. Instead, he stayed there and blankly stared into hers. The only reason he had stayed was because he had known that she had needed him right now, and after coming so far, it was hard to just end it like that. "Don't think that I'll always bite my tongue."

Cuddy just slowly slid down back to lying beside him. His arms were still around her, yet not as warm as they were before. She wanted badly to say something that would make up for what she had said, but there wasn't much that she could say to help things out. "I'm glad I'm not alone tonight, I don't think I could have made it, especially now that it's dark out." It wasn't like her to really say anything like that, but it was true at the moment. She could feel House start to rub her shoulder as she started to calm down little by little.

"You're telling me that you would have actually went home by yourself after something like that?" He knew that she could put up with a lot, but that was a bit much for him to believe.

Cuddy really didn't know what she would have done. It was a hard situation when the killer was in your own home. Most likely, she would have taken Rachel over to stay with House. "I don't know," she sighed. Without knowing it, she had dozed off. The time that she had found this out was when she had woken up crying.

"Hey, hey, calm down, I'm here," House said as he sat up and embraced her.

Cuddy hadn't even realized what was going on until she looked up and saw his face. It was the best thing she could see after having seen Mike's as she relived the night in her dream. Without being able to say anything, she wrapped her arms around him and finished her tears on his shoulder.

House was truly concerned now, but didn't know what to do. The most he could do now was sitting there and try to calm her.

*****************

The next day, Gabrielle and Andy walked in the door of the empty house. Marcy and Heather were out, and their parents at work, so they both thought they would just sit there and wait for everyone else to get back. Gabrielle took her bags and sat down on the couch as Andy went into the kitchen and started to go through the fridge.

"You sure spent a lot of money. I think I realized why I feel gypped every time that I got a present from you," he called out to her.

Gabrielle started to pull the contents out of the bag and laid them on the coffee table. "I had fourteen hundred total. I was saving up during the time that I was doing all the babysitting, lawn mowing, and pool cleaning." She started to laugh as she pulled the last item from the bag and set it beside her. "Besides, what makes you think that you deserve it?"

Andy stepped to the side into her view and motioned to himself. "What do you think?" he asked.

Gabrielle rolled her eyes. "I don't even know if you're human or not. Why should I go out and buy you a nice gift that you wouldn't even know how to use?"

"A tramp like you should have the extra money stored from her night job. I'd think you'd be able to buy back up gifts," Andy said as he headed back to the fridge.

"Shut up before I shove your alleged dick further into that vagina of yours," Gabrielle yelled back.

"Very funny," Andy said as he walked over and sat down on the couch. "What did you buy anyways?"

Gabrielle leaned towards the table and pointed to each one of the gifts as she spoke about it. "Keyboard cleaner, that Whiskey I had you use your fake ID for, for my dad. Then a bracelet for Cuddy, says to my mother on one side and thank you on the other. I also picked up some things from Malleys while I was in Cleveland."

"Nice how you got something personal for her and booze and cleaner for him," Andy said.

"Well, the cleaner's kinda personal. It's a joke between us. Other then that, I have the feeling that he wouldn't be into anything personal," Gabrielle said.

"Isn't he going to ask about the alcohol?" Andy asked.

Gabrielle sat back and raised her eyebrows. "I guess I'll have to tell him the truth. You slept with the owner while I stole the bottle from the counter."

Andy just stood up and walked away. "You know that no one likes that mouth of yours."

"And no one like when you enter a room. No need to nitpick here," Gabrielle said. She sat back and looked over the items before her as she sighed. "I hope they like them."


	57. Plans

Chapter 57: Plans

Two weeks had passed since House and Cuddy had moved in together to their new house. Since then, Cuddy had only had the one rough night. She was still a tad paranoid, but was okay as long as she wasn't alone or it was light out. Along with her own safety, she had to constantly check on Rachel through the night. Paranoid could have been used in a much more general statement rather than just about what happened with Mike Suder though. Since she had gotten home from the hospital, any small pain or discomfort would get her nervous.

Cuddy sat at her desk. It was her first day back. It was easy to tell how long she had been gone by the stack of paper sitting on her desk, well, now the pile of papers scattered about the desk. For what seemed to be the hundredth time this morning, she sighed and checked the clock. It wasn't that she hated being back, she just couldn't wait to take a break. She had a headache and the papers before her were not helping. "It has to get done sometime and now is better than tonight." That too had been repeated many times through out the morning.

Finally, there was some excitement, which soon turned into another headache. "Hello there mommy dearest," House said as he walked in and sat down on the couch.

"Don't you have anything better you can do?" Cuddy asked without even looking up. Truthfully, she liked having him in the room, even if he was about to drop some completely insane idea on her.

House did have things that he should be doing, but he wanted to check up on her. At the moment, he had his team down in the ER looking for an interesting case. "Well, there is a closet down the hall," he suggested with a smirk.

Cuddy sat the paper down on the desk and returned the smirk. "I have a headache," she teased. She stood up and grabbed a pile of papers to take over to the filing cabinet. "Besides, you should be working in the clinic right now."

He just watched as she put the papers into their places. "I told everyone we were engaged." He had had a long time to tell her what had happened that night he explained to the team what was going on, but he never brought it up and she didn't ask. It was also a good thing to save for times like now, when he wanted to change the subject.

Cuddy knew that he had probably gotten some questions and that they probably all knew everything now. It wasn't that much of a surprise to her. "We're they surprised?" Right now she kind of wished that she could have been there to see how they reacted.

"I walked in on them betting on whether or not I was that father," House said. "I think they were preparing themselves for it."

Cuddy slightly smiled as she went and sat back down at her desk. "You know, now that every one knows, I think we should set a date for the wedding." Earlier that morning, she had received an invitation to Cameron and Chase's wedding and the idea had been stuck in her head.

House turned and laid on the couch with his feet propped up on the armrest. "The invitation right?"

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "Come on Greg. You're here and I'm serious about this."

"Let me talk to Gabi first, I don't want to hear her whining about her sixteenth birthday being ruined or having her bring all her friends to our wedding to celebrate," House said.

Cuddy looked up to him with surprise. "When did she tell you it was?"

House sighed. "Maria started acting real weird a few weeks before she left me and she left me in early winter. I figured that her birthday was anywhere from mid May to early July." Keeping his eyes up on the ceiling, he just awaited for what ever Cuddy's reaction was.

Cuddy raised her eyebrows. "Instead of asking her you sat down and thought all of that through?" It did impress her, but she could also tell that he figured a lot about his daughter, instead of actually asking her about herself.

House sat up and pulled his cell phone out. "I'm about to ask her."

"Wouldn't she be in school right now?" Cuddy asked.

House rolled his eyes. "Like any teenager actually goes through six or seven hours without texting. She's probably already got two or three other conversations going on." He was about to start to text her, but then stopped and closed his phone. "How about we get married in Hawaii?"

Cuddy liked the idea. It would her, House, Wilson and Gabrielle. At this point, that was all that they needed. "You never actually had her birthday in mind did you?" she asked.

"And again, I know you would feel bad and let her take her friends to the reception and we wouldn't have any privacy all night with a house full of kids running around." House looked up and smirked so that Cuddy could easily tell what was on his mind. "And I think we should get the chance to throw our own after party."

"I think those are the best plans I've heard so far," Cuddy responded.

House stood up and smiled to her. "How good?" There was nothing innocent in his voice at the moment.

Cuddy raised her eyebrows and devilishly grinned as she stood up and walked over to him. Grabbing his chin, she leaned in and gently planted a kiss on his lips. She then slowly pulled away and smirked. "If you don't go out there and work your hours in the clinic, there won't be any of that for a while." This was a brand new weapon/motivational tool for her, and she was going to have fun with it.

House saw what she was starting and decided that he had better fire back before this got out of control. The best he could do at the moment was to figure out a way to get her to back off. "You're hormonal and scared at night. I think I should be the one telling you to keep your hands off. Of course I've paid women to do more than touch me so I'll take it for free when ever I can."

"My God you're vain. You think that just because I could get horny that I won't be able to control myself around you?" she asked as she folded her arms.

"Hmm," House started as he looked up and pretended to give that question deep thought. He then looked down and leaned towards her belly. "I don't know. Do you two think you would be here if mommy could control herself?"

Cuddy let out a sigh of annoyance as she dropped her arms to her sides. "Really Greg?" she slightly laughed.

House gently patted her belly, which now had a small noticeable pouch. "The twins don't lie." He slowly raise his head and stared at her chest. "And neither do those babies."

"Again, if you don't get out there and start working, you're never going to see them," she smugly warned.

House stood back up and titled his head. "Which ones?"

Cuddy put her hands on her hips. "The twins you've loved since college ."

"Sexual bribes Cuddy," he sighed shaking his head in mock disappointment. "I don't know who I should tell about this."

There was a knock at the door before she could say anything to him. "Come in!"

Wilson walked in and stopped as soon as he saw House standing before her. "Is this a bad time?"

House turned and pouted to Wilson. "She's sexually abusing me," House said as if trying to keep Cuddy from hearing. "But if I play my cards right, she'll pull out the handcuffs."

Wilson just glanced over at House. "It's not abuse if you enjoyed it." He walked over to Cuddy, while ignoring the fact that House was sticking his tongue out at him, and handed her a patient's file. "First, I need to transfer this patient over to a neurologist, and second, I came to welcome you back." Cuddy just smiled up and thanked him. "Feeling any better?" he asked.

"I haven't had any flare ups since then. I'm just hoping that it was a one time deal," she answered. Her smile slowly started to fade, and that was when Wilson knew to change the subject.

"You still able to come to Hawaii?" he asked.

Cuddy could tell what he was doing, and decided to just go along with it. "As far as I know I am."

"The women takes medications and follows rules and regiments to a tee, but doesn't know if she can get on a plane and travel across the country," House said.

Cuddy rested her head on her hands. "Maybe you should figure out that you're able to travel across the room to the door and out to the clinic."

"I have a better idea, how about you go out to the clinic so that I can watch you leave," House suggested.

Cuddy merely smiled at his childish remark. "I have an even better idea, either you get your ass out there and with a patient or my ass stays hidden."

"You are an evil woman," he said pointing his cane to her. "If this hospital thing doesn't work out, consider criminal punishment." With that, he walked out of the room.

Cuddy proudly smiled to herself and then looked over to Wilson. "Anything else you wanted?"

Wilson just shook his head. "Don't think so."

Wilson started to stand up, but Cuddy grabbed his arm. "Wilson? Can I ask a favor of you?" The teasing and playfulness earlier exhibited in her eyes was replaced with a pleading concern.

Wilson was startled as he stopped and sat back down. "Sure," he answered.

"This used to be Gabrielle's job, but you've just been promoted. I want you to let me know if he seems to have doubts about this wedding. The last thing I want to do is get married and then have him regretting me and getting into some bitter marriage," she said.

Wilson nodded his head. "Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on him for you." He could tell how important this was to Cuddy, and understood why. The only problem was watching House without him finding out what was going on.

Cuddy politely thanked him and then sighed as he left the room. "I hope he doesn't find out anything," she softly wished to herself before going back to work. "Because right now I don't think I could handle that."

**I know, no Gabrielle in this chapter. I just didn't actually have anything planned for her until right before she leaves for New Jersey again. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter.**


	58. Changes Part 1

58 Changes (Part 1)

Gabrielle, Marcy, Heather, and Andy sat in what was once Gabrielle's house. She had gotten the call from her father to send out whatever she wanted from her room. All four gathered upstairs, and placed the random objects into the boxes that were scattered out before them. Heather was going through and packing her clothes for her, while Marcy and Gabrielle went through all the little stuff at her desk. Andy was in charge of carrying the boxes downstairs to the pickup truck.

Gabrielle sighed as she picked up a picture off of her desk. It was of her and her friends during Christmas break. "Look how happy we are." She sounded unsure as to whether she was making the right choice about all of this.

Marcy looked over and laughed. "Someone getting a bit nostalgic there?"

Gabrielle turned to her and gave her a bitter-sweet smile. "This isn't moving with your family somewhere nearby, I'm moving in with two people I just met and gaining three siblings, and in another state. I think I have the right to be as nostalgic as I want to." Starting to softly laugh, she set the picture down, but kept her eyes on it. "You know how, on my fifteenth birthday I got this completely awesome iPod and my mom got it for me?" She looked up to Marcy and smirked. "I knew that all of you pitched in for that, and that my mother had forgotten. I knew that you would have rather me thought that it was you that forgot instead of my own mother."

Marcy, being in on it, knew that this was true, but still tried to deny it. "Really? An iPod? How much money you think we have?"

Gabrielle folded her arms. "Really? There's you, Heather, Doug, Andy, Missy, Amy, Veronica, Emma, Kaitlyn, Hannah, Lily, Kyle, Bucky, and Jennifer. About one fifty divided by fourteen isn't all that much. You should know that it's about eleven dollars per person."

Marcy shrugged. "Fine, you figured us out." She sighed and looked down to see a picture from her birthday party. "Was it really all that bad though?"

Gabrielle shook her head. "No, I thought it was sort of sweet what you were all trying to do." Looking down, there was a picture of her, Nikki, Lindsay, and Ryan. "But, you could have told me that my house was going to be packed." She picked up the picture and laughed. "You remember when Nikki and Ryan started dating? I think it was on my birthday, and Francine wanted to play spin the bottle so that she and Steven could have a chance to kiss."

Marcy laughed. "Oh yeah! That was hilarious when they kissed and you tripped over the rug because you were too busy watching them, and then completely fell into your cake." She laughed and hit Gabrielle in the back of the head. "God you're a klutz."

"Well, I've ruined a few parties. I probably deserved that," Gabrielle said.

"Trust me! You did!" Heather yelled from the closet.

Gabrielle laughed as she turned and looked back to Heather. "You can't get over that can you?"

Marcy shook her head, "Don't worry, she has to sometime. I mean, she was the only there not having fun."

"Come on you guys!" Andy yelled from the stairway. The room became quiet as they all stopped and turned to the door. Andy turned the corner and leaned against the door frame. "Gab's leaving here next week. We need to gather some things to send her off."

Gabrielle sighed. "Most of the boxes are done. I can pack up the last couple while the rest of you take the others down."

Everyone grabbed one of the remaining boxes and carried them down. Gabrielle just stood there for a second and looked around the room. It was weird to actually be standing in her room, let alone her house for the last time. "Well, had to go sometime," she said as she shrugged and started packing the odd little things from her desk.

* * *

House leaned against the wall beside the doorway as he twirled his cane around. Cuddy sat in the rocking chair in the corner as she looked around the room. "I think we should paint it yellow," Cuddy said.

House just looked over to her and shrugged. "Personally, I don't think either baby will care what color the walls are. Besides, it's not like it's going to stay yellow in here for long. The babies will grow to kids and think yellow's lame."

Cuddy looked up and frowned. "You're saying that you don't want to paint your own kid's room?" Her voice seemed to rise with some sort of warning for him to agree with what she wanted, or else.

"I'm just saying it would save us a lot of work that we don't have to do. Besides, the less work the more time you get with Rachel before she loses her spot as mommy's only little girl," House said as he examined the room.

Cuddy looked off to the side and sighed. She couldn't deny that, but she did want to put some effort into this room. She was about to say something, but her eyes widened. A smile came across her face as she rested her hand on her belly. "Greg? Come here," she called out.

"Something wrong?" he asked as he quickly looked over with concern.

"One of them kicked." She stood up and walked over to him. Still smiling as brightly as she could, she took his hand and rested it on her belly.

House did feel a kick, but just stood there and stared. It was a disinterested look in his eyes, if anything, Cuddy would have rather seen disinterest than what she had seen, which was a small fear. "Our kids," he softly mumbled.

"Yeah," she said with concern. "Are you okay?"

House slowly took his hand away. His eyes were stuck on the same spot on her belly where his hand had been as some sort of self loathing came over him.

"Greg?" Cuddy asked. No response. "Well." She turned and went back to her seat. The way he had acted scared her more than anything and she desperately wanted him to tell her why. Part of her wanted to go follow him and ask why, while, the other part knew that it was too late into the game to be chasing after him.

House knew that what he had done had hurt Cuddy, and from what he could tell, pretty badly. It wasn't that he had wanted to get her mad or hurt anyone at the moment, but he had left the room like he did out of fear. There was a sudden realization of what was truly going on in his life. Everything was changing very quickly. As soon as he starts dating Cuddy, she's pregnant and now he had a daughter moving in and he's going to get married. Everything that he had wanted deep down, yet every risk that scared him.

It was obvious to him that he was a jerk, and the last thing that he had wanted to do was be a jerk to his own little kid. For the first time in his life he had to look out for others.

House sat in the darkened room as he thought through all of this. Looking up, he sighed and then decided to lay back on the bed. "A little too late for all of this," he mumbled to himself.

* * *

Gabrielle sat in the living room amongst the group of people. It was her last night in Toledo before she was to go to New Jersey. Earlier that day she had gotten her hair dyed blue, and was now admiring it in her mirror. "You know, this is the last time I'm going to be able to do this with all of you."

Marcy looked over and laughed. "So sure about that?" Even though she had only been her friend for a year, she knew Gabrielle well enough to know that she would come and visit.

"Yeah," Doug said. "Some of us are coming with you. Remember? We're helping out."

Andy sat back and laughed. "Remembering is for people with brains. I wouldn't expect too much from her."

Gabrielle smirked as she turned and looked over at Andy. "You know, most humans actually look like humans instead of a horse's ass."

"Fuck you," Andy called out.

"No thanks lover boy, I'm getting enough of that from your brother," Gabrielle remarked. Once Andy was left speechless for a few seconds, she turned back to her original position.

Heather rolled her eyes. "Can't you two get along for at least an hour?"

Gabrielle and Andy exchanged looks and then both looked at Heather. "Nope," they simultaneously answered as they shook their heads.

There was a knock at the door and Heather stood up to go get it. The room became quiet, only allowing Gabrielle to think about what was going on. It was bitter sweet to her. On one hand, she would be living with her Father, getting a family, having the chance to start over, on the other hand, her mother was dead and she was going to leave her friends.

"Gabi?"

Gabrielle came out of her thoughts and gleamed at the sight of the person before her. "Kyle! You came!" The young girl jumped up and ran over to him. Instinctively, her arms wrapped around him and they both went in for a deep kiss.

The entire time that the two were completely lost in each other, Andy glared at them. He was about ready to throw up at the sight of the two. "Really you two? You know there is a room down the hall."

Gabrielle pulled away from Kyle, but kept her arms around him as she smugly grinned at Andy. "Jealous much?"

"Come on, you know things aren't going well between Missy and him," Doug said.

Gabrielle dropped her arms from around Kyle and walked over to Andy. "I'm sorry. I'll try to keep that in mind." The last thing that she wanted to do that night was to ruin it for someone.

"Works for me," Andy forcefully answered.

"Okay," Gabrielle said unsure of how to react. Feeling the tension around him, she meekly looked down and turned back to Kyle. "Let's go out into the backyard for a few minutes. That way you can tell me whatever you want."

"Okay," Kyle said. He wrapped his arm around her waist and walked her to the back door.

Kyle and Gabrielle both stepped out onto the porch and sat down on the stairs. The night sky was clear and every star visible, pretty much the perfect romance scene, but Gabrielle knew better than that. She rested her head in her hands for a minute and covered her face. As soon as she had gathered her thoughts, she lifted her head and forced a small smile towards Kyle. "I'm not dumb, I know you're going to break up with me."

Kyle sighed as he stared forward. "Can't blame me can you?"

"No, it's unrealistic to even think that we would have a chance at any kind of relationship beyond a casual friendship," she answered as she looked down. "Actually, beyond now I don't think we should even really be friends. Most likely it would just lead to us doing something stupid like trying to get back together and end up hurt and heartbroken when we discover that it really was unrealistic." It was hard for her to say, and something that would be extremely hard to get used to, but it felt natural. She was going to move on from him, and in order to do that, she had to be able to just let go.

Kyle just sighed. There was nothing for him to say to that. It was obvious that he wouldn't see her much, and that even if they would have agreed to stay friends, that it wouldn't be long before they completely stopped talking to each other. "I agree."

Gabrielle looked over and softly laughed. "It's not like we actually had much of a relationship to begin with. We started dating right before I left for New Jersey around Christmas. The entire time we have dated has revolved around me dealing with issues. Trust me, all I am to you right now is baggage. Just unwanted baggage."

Kyle raised his eyebrows to her. "You obviously aren't unwanted here. Just go look inside."

Gabrielle merely just smiled. Even if she wasn't unwanted here, her family sure didn't seem to want her much. That was why she was so thankful that she had met her father, he seemed to just take her as is and not reject her based on image. She had only told a couple people about her past, and her boyfriend wasn't one of them. "Right," she answered.

Kyle looked over to her and watched her for a minute. "Maybe I should just go now." He stood up and awaited for her to at least look up to him. When she finally did, she sighed and stood up to face him. Slowly to make sure that she would accept, he leaned in and kissed her. "Goodbye and good luck Gabrielle," he said upon pulling away.

"Thank you, and goodbye," she responded as she waved to him. They gave each other a smile, and then just like that, he was gone. Even with nothing keeping her outside, she stood there and kept staring in the same direction that Kyle had went to leave. "Well, there goes the couple of the year," she softly laughed to herself before finally turning and going inside.

*******************

Cuddy walked into the darkened bedroom and stood in the doorway. With the little light that shown in, she could see House laying in bed, perhaps even trying to make sure that he was asleep before she had gotten there. After the incident in the nursery, he had been avoiding her. "I know you're up," she said a she turned the hall light off. There was no response as she slowly approached the bed. "Greg?" she asked as she sat down beside him.

House just laid there with his eyes closed. He could hear her and had known her presence ever she had walked into the room. He wasn't mad at her, but, he couldn't bring himself to talk about what had happened earlier. The second that he had felt the baby kick, it became just a little bit more real to him. He was going to be a father, he, the jerk, the asshole, the misanthrope, the one that spent so much time not caring and trying to make other people miserable.

Cuddy just sighed. "Fine," she said with tears gathering in her eyes. Not wanting him to know that she was about to cry, she closed her eyes and laid down with her back to him. "But you better not need anything from me in the morning," she sternly announced to him.

House was later awakened by a small whimper. "Are you trying to say something over there?" he asked still half asleep.

"It's just a flare up," she snapped. "You can go back to sleep."

House sat up and started to rub her back. "Want me to stay up with you?" He wanted to do more, but there wasn't anything he actually could do to help.

Cuddy turned over and sat up. "Why do you do this to me?" Her voice was full of confusion and frustration. "You ignore me and then you turn around and be nice! You tell me you'll be there and then you pull something like that! If feeling your own baby kick made you uncomfortable what are you going to do when they're actually born?"

House was taken aback by her little outburst, but it certainly wasn't either unexpected nor uncalled for.

"Don't think you're so damn special either. You may be nervous about becoming a father, but I was nervous about becoming a mother. When I first brought Rachel home I sucked at it, but surprise, surprise, I tried and I got better. It won't kill you to try and help out and I know you can act human towards them if you put at least a tiny bit of effort into it," she breathily told him.

House could see that she was in pain, and was now starting to get worried since her hair had become wet and stuck to her face. Quickly, he leaned over and felt her forehead. "Lisa, you'd better lay down. You're burning up." He got up and headed out into the bathroom to grab a wet rag and two Tylenol for her.

"Thanks," she said as he handed her the pills. She took them and then laid back. Her eyes were closed, but she could tell that House was watching her. He slowly, and cautiously went for her hand. "I'm not going to bite you," she said.

"I could get used to it if you did though," House remarked as he started rubbing small circles on the back of her hand with his thumb. "Hey, if it would make you feel better you can go ahead and kick my leg."

"No thanks," she said. "But it would help if you would talk every once in a while instead of just leaving the room."

House raised his eyebrows and looked over to her. "You sure you really want to hear all of my thoughts?"

Cuddy opened her eyes. "Just don't play with my emotions."

"Talking won't help that, but I'll try it," he said mostly just to humor her. This was not the time to be telling her that he most likely would let her down and that he would hurt her at times. It wasn't like he was trying to quit some bad habit, he was trying to show someone that he had cared, which was hard when you had to make yourself vulnerable to them.

"That's all I ask," she responded while trying to reposition herself so that she could get comfortable.

House could see how uncomfortable she really was and gently helped her to prop herself up while giving her his pillows. "You certainly aren't weak."

"What?" she asked as she looked over to him.

"You obviously want the kids and you stopped at nothing, even when you were scared. There were many times you could have turned back. You were still able to get an abortion when you found out about the pancreatitus, when you found out it was twins. You had kept going after miscarriages. After everything you could have just avoided everything but you didn't," He said. That was one thing that he secretly always gave her credit for. Something that he could never do. He always tried to avoid pain, rejection, being let down, all of it. He was truly a coward and hated himself for it.

Cuddy gave him a small smile. "You don't know what that means," she said. "Thank you."

House just sighed and stared forward. He then turned to her. "Did you ever think of not going through with the pregnancy?"

"Right now," she slightly laughed. "But I know I would regret it so much to have come this far and not get anything for it."

House motioned for her to join him. He then scooted closer to her and had her sit up and he took his right arm and held her close to him, allowing her to rest her head on his chest as he took his other hand and started rubbing her back. "Try to not think about it."

"Coming from the pill popper himself," she smirked. That was when it had occurred to her, she had not seen him actually take any pills since she had come back from the hospital. He had to have been taking them, she would notice the difference in his behavior if he wasn't. He just wasn't taking them in front of her. He hasn't even flashed his bottle before her.

"I don't listen to anyone else, why should I listen to myself?" he asked.

Cuddy just rolled her eyes and tried to relax. The way in which he was gently messaging her back was soothing, and she did like being held by him, but the only thing ruining the moment was she thought she was about to pass out. Even if she did faint though, it wouldn't matter to her, she was safe where she was. Slowly she just closed her eyes, hoping that maybe she could get to sleep.

**Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I know it was longer than the rest but I thought it called for a long chapter. I'm getting towards the end of the story, there's only a couple chapters left, and I really do have a lot of people to thank. I'm going to start of with thanking some friends from school that have helped me a lot with this story….mainly Kay, Andrew, Doug, Marissa and Brianna along with Vanessa, Emily, Lindsay, Ryan, Nikki C., and Greg. **


	59. Changes Part 2

Chapter 59 : Changes ( Part 2)

House woke up and looked around the room. The sun was just beginning to rise and shine a warm glow through the window. He realized that he was still leaning against the headboard with Cuddy in his arms. They both had the day off, so he decided just to sit there and wait until she had awakened. It was amazing to him how peaceful she looked. Last night she was angry at him and then in pain, and now, she even had a small, faint little smile across her face.

House's cell phone started to go off, playing the song Behind Those Eyes by Three Doors Down. "Great," he mumbled to himself. As carefully as he could, he slid out from under Cuddy and replaced himself with a pillow. He then limped across the room over to where his pants were and grabbed his phone. "Gabi, what the hell do you think you're doing calling at this time?"

Gabrielle was sitting on the plane as she was waiting for the flight to leave. "I thought I should tell you that we're going to be later than we thought. Last night's flight was delayed until now."

House sighed as he rubbed his forehead. "Alright, what time will you be here then?"

"Well, this flight will take us to New York, and from there we'll drive. We'll be there around three instead of noon," Gabrielle sad as she turned to look out the window.

"Okay, I'll see you then," he said and then hung up the phone.

"Who was that?" Cuddy groggily asked as she sat up.

House was startled by her voice and turned to her. "That was Gabi, she's not going to get here until around three."

"That's okay, it'll give us more time to get ready," Cuddy said as she stood up. She seemed to be doing a lot better than she had the night before. The only thing was that he noticed that she had to steady herself for a second before walking over to him.

"You alright there? Seem a bit dizzy there," House said.

Cuddy was about to say something, but Rachel started crying. "I'll answer that in a moment," she said as she walked out of the room.

House just stood there and stared at the reflection of the bed in the mirror. Last night, he had hurt her, and he knew that she wasn't about to get over it so soon. Cuddy might have been acting like everything was okay, and he might have been putting on his usual front, but he knew that in the backs of both of their heads that there was a small nervousness about the situation. All House really knew about being a father was what he had seen from his father, and that scared him.

House put his pants on, grabbed his cane and headed down the stairs. As he got to the bottom of the stairs, he could hear Cuddy talking to Rachel. He turned and walked through the living room and through the small hall to the kitchen. In the doorway, he stood and watched as Cuddy fed Rachel. On her face was a smile as she rambled off different phrases to her daughter telling her that she was mommy's little girl. "You sure have a different approach to that than my parents did." House walked over to the table and sat down. "But I guess that's why we're called army brats, we live like we're in the army ourselves."

Cuddy sighed as she leaned forward. "I get it Greg, you're afraid of being a jerk." She gave him a small smile. "And I'm sorry about how I reacted last night, you freaked me out and got me mad. But, at least you care enough to actually worry."

"The way a five year old perceives things is different from a fifteen year old's," he said as he got up and went over to the fridge.

"I'm sure that you can adjust if you try," Cuddy said.

House just shrugged. "Maybe," he said to himself.

* * *

Gabrielle sat on the plane next to Andy with Marcy and Doug in the seat behind them. Both Marcy and Doug were asleep as Gabrielle stared blankly out the window. She now had short blonde hair with blue streaks in it. "I know it's silly, but I'm a little nervous this time. I'm going to have to make new friends and all of that all over again. I'm jumping right into a family."

Andy sighed and looked over. "Why don't you do what you tell me? Suck it up."

Gabrielle looked over and smirked. "Cute," she said as she nodded. She sat back in her seat and looked up at the ceiling. "Maybe I just don't know how I feel, I mean, I really should be excited." Shrugging, she just shook her head. "I am, but, why isn't that all? Why am I nervous? I should be jumping up and down cheering that I don't have to go live with my aunt."

Andy just leaned his head back against the seat. "Maybe it's because you know that as soon as you move in with your dad, that it's all over." He turned his head and saw her blankly staring at him. "You'll finally have to come to grips with the death of your mother. Before now, you were staying at Marcy's and nothing was really different and now it will be."

Gabrielle sniffled as she looked down to her hands. "Yeah. Well, there were a few mornings where I woke up and texted my mom to come and get me." Wiping her face with her sleeve, she turned and looked to Andy. It was hard, but she managed to force a small laugh. "I guess that shows that I still refuse to take her number out."

"No one ever said that you had to take it out," he said.

Gabrielle just shrugged and went back to looking out the window. "I wonder how mad she was about the tattoo I got. She died right after I told her about it so I still don't know."

Andy raised his eyebrow as he lifted his head up from the seat. "Don't you think that's your answer there?"

"Do you really wanna pin her death on me right now?" she teased.

"No, but I would like to see the tattoo you got," Andy said. He was now trying to figure out where it could be. He had seen her in a one piece bathing suit, so it wasn't on her arms or legs. The only thing he knew about it was that it was supposedly a rose.

Gabrielle slowly looked back to him and saw him scanning her body. "It's just a rose, no big deal."

Andy gave her his dirty little smirk. "Doesn't matter what it is, only matters where it is."

Gabrielle rolled her eyes. "If I show you, will you stop staring at me like that?" Andy just nodded. "Okay, switch seats with me." They both stood up and switched their seats so that Gabrielle was by the aisle way. She sat up on the seat and turned to face the aisle. "Upper right cheek," she sighed. She rested her elbows on the arm of the chair and then sat her head down on her hands as she waited for Andy to go ahead and look. "I told you you could. There's no strings attached or anything."

Andy hesitated for a moment. It was weird to just lower your friend's jeans and look at their butt, especially one that was like a little sister to you. Either way, he got over it and pulled down the waist line of her pants. Slowly, he revealed the small rose and started to laugh. "Wow," he said. It was actually one of the hottest things he had seen, but was not about to tell her that, especially now.

"That dorky huh?" Gabrielle asked as she pulled her jeans back up and turned to face forward again. "Andy?" she asked upon seeing his face. "Oh God, he's horny now."

Andy was staring to her with an awkward smile, the same look he had when ever he saw his girlfriend dress up, or wear a bathing suit, well, wear or not wear anything. Gabrielle rolled her eyes. She grabbed a glass of water and dumped it on his pants. "Sorry about that," he said.

"Yeah, well, I guess I can take that as a compliment," Gabrielle said. She just leaned her head back and tried to doze off. She knew from that point that things would be a little awkward for the rest of the flight.

"You don't have to be embarrassed you know," Andy said trying to gather what to say. Right now he seemed to be having a hard time thinking.

Gabrielle just laughed as she looked over to him. "You're such a dick. You know that?"

"Yeah? Well you're a tramp," he said without much feeling.

They both sat there and stared at each other for a moment. Unknown feelings came over both of them for reasons that they did not know. Slowly, yet all to suddenly, they both leaned in and tenderly kissed each other. The seconds passing felt like endless hours. Gabrielle was the first one to pull away. Tears started to gather in her eyes. Her bottom lip quivered as she shook her head with uncertainty and shock. "Excuse me," she said as she rushed out of her seat and down the aisle.

Andy just sat there and stared in disbelief. He wanted to follow her and tell her that it wasn't that big of a deal, but that would be hard when it obviously was for her.

*******************

House sat on the couch as Cuddy sat on the floor with her back against the chair. She was playing with Rachel. "Are you sure that you're comfortable down there?" he asked.

Cuddy took her attention away from Rachel for a second and looked over to him. "I don't think where I am is actually going to make a difference." She softly laughed and then went back to playing with the baby girl before her.

House sighed as he picked up the newspaper that had been brought in earlier. "How much you wanna bet I can finish the crossword in under two hours?"

Cuddy shrugged. "Are you really that bored?" she asked.

Before he could answer, there was a knock at the door. "I'll get it," he said as he got up. He got to the door and right as he opened it, there she was.

"Daddy!" Gabrielle exclaimed as she wrapped her arms around him. "Don't worry, you don't have to hug back." She stepped back and smiled.

House just stared at her and then turned towards the living room. "Lisa! My kids got blue hair!" He then just stared at her again. "Do you really think that that looks good?"

"Do you really think I care?" Gabrielle asked. She just laughed as House stepped aside and let everyone in. "Daddy, these are my friends, Marcy, Doug and Andy," she said as she pointed to each of them.

"Nice to meet you," he said with disinterest. "I just hope these two boys here have a place to sleep tonight."

"Don't worry, you won't find them in my room after bedtime," she reassured her father. After a moment of silence, she decided to grab the gifts. "Excuse me, I'll be right back."

As soon as Gabrielle walked out the door, the three of her friends started for the living room. Marcy walked passed, but Doug and Andy were stopped when House held his cane out in front of them. "You two." Intimidating them, he stared down to them and looked them each over. "If I catch either of you alone with her in her bedroom," he started.

"Don't worry Mr. House, I usually sleep in the basement or living room. Rarely ever in an actual bedroom or in an actual bed," Doug said.

House pulled his cane away just to allow enough room for Doug to walk passed him. "And you?" he asked.

Andy just sighed. "Look sir, you have nothing to worry about. I tried to date your daughter last year and all we did was argue. We couldn't agree on which restaurant to go to or even how to get there. We suck as a couple and if either of us ever gets turned on, the other seems to find a way to ruin it pretty quickly." His face dropped as he remembered the flight there.

House stood there in suspicion as he studied him. "You didn't lie. Congratulations." He took his cane back and allowed him to go join the others in the living room.

"I think I just pissed myself," Andy said as he walked into the living room.

"I know right?" Doug asked as he turned around on the couch. "I don't think I'm gonna go upstairs now."

Cuddy laughed as she lifted herself up into the chair behind her. "I think that's what his intentions were."

House walked into the room and stood besides Andy. "Funny how an old man with a cane can scare the hell out of you two."

"Well, Andy's current girlfriend's dad has a rifle. I think it's only natural he reacts that way," Gabrielle said emphasizing the word girlfriend as she looked over to Andy. Everyone else in the room seemed to notice this and looked over to Andy for a second. Gabrielle just ignored it and happily handed a gift to her father. "Here you go."

House took it and pulled out the cleaner. "Why didn't I see that one coming?" he asked and then set it on the table as Gabrielle laughed. He continued to pull out the Whisky. He slowly examined the bottle and then lifted his head to her.

"Hey, the fact that that made it here unopened tells you that I'm not a drinker," Gabrielle said.

House just sighed as he set the bottle down beside the cleaner. "What do I care? I got something to enjoy tonight." He then pulled out a box with chocolates shaped like a stethoscope and a syringe. "Cute," he said looking it over. "I've got cleaner, booze and candy for tonight."

Gabrielle just laughed and then walked over to Cuddy. "Here you go," she said happily holding out a gift bag.

"Thank you," she said taking it. She pulled out the same chocolates that House had gotten and laughed as she set them down next to her. Continuing on, she pulled out the small box and opened it. "Oh, wow," she said pulling the bracelet out. Reading over the inscription on the bracelet, she softly smiled and then looked up at Gabrielle. "Thank you." She then turned to House and showed the bracelet to him. "Your daughter just called me mommy."

Gabrielle slightly laughed. "Well, you did a lot for me. My family might have paid a lot of money for me, but you pretty much risked everything for me, and you certainly didn't have to, especially since you barely even knew me." She then turned and walked towards the door. "I'm going to go get the rest of my things."

"We're coming," Doug said as the three got up and slowly followed her.

Andy was about to leave and follow them, but House grabbed his shoulder. "Did you by any chance come on to her or something?" House asked. His eyes were narrowed down on him.

Andy just stared for a second as he froze. His mind suddenly went blank and nothing came out of his mouth. "I kissed her sir." Normally, he would have lied, but this was the father of a girl that he did actually care about. He also knew that at one point one of them would say something and everyone would find out so it wasn't worth the lie. "We were just talking and I kissed her."

House again looked him over for a second. "Why didn't you lie your way out of that?" He raised his eyebrow and sighed. "I would have believed you if you would have just said that she caught you cheating on your girlfriend or something." There was no way that he would have believed him, but he wanted to see how Andy was going to react to it. There was no change in the young man's posture so he just walked over to the couch and sat down.

Andy just watched him for a moment and then left to go help Gabrielle. Cuddy watched as House went and sat down. "Is it necessary to torture him like that? You're gonna screw up his head before dinner time," Cuddy said.

House just looked over to her. "If you scare him, he won't do anything."

Cuddy smiled, she had never seen him as protective over someone. "You know that if these twins are girls, that they could be the death of you?"

"Most likely. At least after Gabi I get a few years break, then three young girls all at one time scouting out all the bad boys at the mall," House said thinking to himself.

Cuddy sat back and smirked. He had played with her emotions, she had to pick at his for once. "What if you caught Lucas and making out?"

House quickly looked over. "You ever see a cane shoved down someone's throat?"

Cuddy laughed and then leaned her head back. "Don't worry, I'm not very attractive right now and I don't think I would want to make out with anyone else."

"Really? I'd do you," House said.

"You'd do anything with a pulse, sometimes that's probably not even required," Cuddy said.

House looked down and saw Rachel starting to crawl away to the hallway and got up to go get her. Cuddy saw him and stared wide eyed with shock. "I just forgot to watch my own kid," she said.

"Don't worry, I think she's alive," House said as he picked her up. He stopped and stood there for a minute as both Doug and Marcy walked in the door with boxes. "Where's the other two?" he asked.

"They wanted to be alone for a few minutes to talk about something," Marcy said and then continued up the stairs.

"I think something happened on the plane," Doug said and then followed Marcy.

* * *

Gabrielle and Andy sat out on the porch steps. The air was still and they both were silent. Each of them had the same thing on their minds and they each had something to say about it. The hard part was waiting for the other to start. "Why did you kiss me?" Gabrielle suddenly asked as she kept her eyes down on the ground before her.

Andy looked over. There was no real answer, it just felt natural to him at the moment. "I was just turned on at the moment. You had just shown me a tattoo on your ass. How did you think that I would react?"

Gabrielle sighed. "So, there was no feelings behind it?" she asked as she stared up into his eyes.

Maybe there was. Maybe it was because of what they were talking about, maybe he had found out that he would miss her. There were so many reasons to have feelings towards her, the problem was that he wasn't sure what feelings had actually motivated him to kiss her. "No."

"You're lying. I can see it in your eyes, you couldn't keep contact with mine when you said that," Gabrielle turned and stared forward. "No matter what happened though, I want you to know that nothing can become of it."

Andy turned and stared forward. It sounded so final to him. "Why not?"

"Andy," she said as she laughed. "I opened up to you, we talked to each other like actual people and I probably did turn you on and you're probably realizing that I'm leaving. We all want what we can't have. Haven't you ever heard that you don't miss something until you don't have it anymore?" Gabrielle looked down and shook her head. "I'm going to miss you to Andy, but we both know that there is just too many things that would work against us."

"I know," Andy responded.

Gabrielle smiled up at him. "Hey, in a couple of days, we will all be going to the airport. Some of us will get on a plane and go to Toledo, the others will get on a plane and go to Hawaii. Let's have some fun now so that we don't regret anything when we separate at the airport. Okay?"

Andy returned the smile. "Alright bitch, lets go get the rest of your things," he said as he stood up.

"Alright, but I don't think you're strong enough to even pick up my purse," she said following him.

"Hey, it's not my fault if you put an entire freakin survival kit in there to go down the street. You're a freakin paranoid," he said.

"At least I didn't scream like a little girl when the cat screeched!"

**I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. The next one will be the final one. I already have it planned out, but if anyone has any really good ideas, I'd be happy to use them. Please review and let me know what you thought. **

**Some more thank yous…..**

**To Jeffhawk, a really honest reviewer who critiqued in a respective manner, I rarely have a reviewer like that, and to Bethypage, gave me a few suggestions along the way.**

**PS**

**To Andy…I think you know how I feel. Hope that we can still be friends without any awkwardness. **


	60. Changes Part 3

_I know I said things I shouldn't say  
Baby, I hope you're ok  
But I also heard things I didn't wanna hear  
And, baby, I'm still ok  
I know that living with me was sometimes hard  
Baby, I know that's true  
But it's not so simple as you think  
I'm feeling the same way too  
_

_I know sometimes I might seem so ugly  
And maybe I really am  
I know that I'm not that easy to ignore  
When I'm really mad...  
'Cause I just wanna say: I love you  
More than I ever could  
And I just wanna hear you love me too  
Then I'll be fine_

_~ Fingertips: Melancholic Ballad_

Chapter 60: Changes (Part 3) Final

Gabrielle sat in her new room as the morning sun shone through the window. It was the morning that they were going to go to Hawaii. She had everything that she needed packed and sitting on her bed. Everything had been rapidly changing for everyone, and today was House and Cuddy's turn, for they would now be House and House.

Sighing, she left the room and went downstairs where everyone else had been gathered around the kitchen table. Cuddy sat at the table eating as Rachel was in her highchair playing with toys while across from her sat House, who would occasionally glare up at Andy, who was conveniently seated next to him, of course, this was House's doing. Doug just sat on the other side of House and would question the situation every time Andy would jump. Marcy sat across from Andy as she watched all of this. "Do you think that you would like to switch places with me?" she asked.

Andy started to nod, but House hit Andy with his cane under the table causing him to change his answer to no. Cuddy rolled her eyes. "Here's an open seat for you Andy," she said as she pulled out the seat next to her. As Andy gladly made his way around the table, Cuddy glared over at House. "You're traumatizing the poor boy."

House just shrugged. "Again, he knows he could take me down if it came to a physical fight." His eyes slowly went from Cuddy to Andy. "Which means something else is bothering you." In a somewhat deep thought, he stared to him for a brief moment. "Guilty much?" he asked with his eyebrows raised in suspicion.

"The only thing his is guilty of is being a concupiscent boy," Gabrielle said as she walked into the room and took the open seat next to her father. She looked up to House and sighed. "But that's nothing as long as one can control himself."

And sighed. "Do you really have to do that in front of him?"

"Do what?" Gabrielle asked. "State something that's true?" She softly laughed. "I just said that there's nothing bad about you as long as you control yourself, which I think you did a pretty good job considering what you could have done."

Andy just shook his head and went back to eating.

"I do like that though," Gabrielle said with a smile on her face.

Andy just looked up with surprise and then looked over at House who was raising his eyebrow to him. "That's nice," he said as he lowered his head back down to his plate.

"Andy, really, acting like that just makes things seem worse," Doug said.

"Have you seen how this man treats me?" Andy asked.

House just looked over to Andy. "I think you should listen to the boy there."

Gabrielle just rolled her eyes at them and then looked over at the clock. "You guys," she said getting a little excited. "We'd better get going if we want to make it to the airport in time."

Everyone started to get up and clean up after themselves. "I don't see why we're rushing, our plane doesn't leave until five," Marcy said.

"Right," House said carrying his plate to the sink. "But we don't trust you in our house by yourselves."

"Hey, I don't blame him," Doug said as he left the room. Gabrielle just sighed and followed everyone out of the room as they all went to gather their things.

Once everyone gathered outside of the house, Cuddy locked the door behind her and got Rachel into her car seat. Gabrielle stood with her friends. She hugged both Doug and Marcy. "Bye you two. I'll text you or something when I get to Hawaii, and I want you to do the same when you reach Toledo."

"Will do, and good luck," Marcy said. She smiled, "just make sure to try and visit for my sweet sixteen."

Gabrielle just laughed. "Will do," she said.

"Hey, the sis I never had is moving on. Hope it all works outs," he said with a genuine sincerity.

Gabrielle smiled. "Thanks, and I hope everything works out for you back home."

He smiled at her and then headed to the car.

Gabrielle sighed and turned towards the house where Andy was standing and staring off into space. The look of uncertainty in his eyes. Realizing that Gabrielle had said goodbye to the others, he casually walked over to her and stood before her. "Well, I guess this is our goodbye."

Gabrielle folded her arms and slightly shrugged. "I don't know. I will be back in Toledo sometime. I mean, you look as if I'm never going to see you again." The last thing she wanted to do was permanently say goodbye to anyone, especially the three that she had to say bye to today.

"Actually," Andy sighed. He reached down and pulled out a plane ticket to New York. "My cousin has a place there and he said that I could bring Missy there if I wanted. I think I might go there and see what happens between us." He hesitated a moment before putting the ticket back into his pocket as if he were looking for approval from Gabrielle.

A smile slowly came across her face. "I think that's great. Best of luck to both of you." With that, she hugged him. "Bye Andy," she said before pulling away from him.

"Bye Gabrielle," he said. Sighing, he slowly turned and got over to the car that was already packed up with Doug and Marcy ready to go. He figured he would take them for a drive around, maybe stop at a beach or something and then tell them his plan at the airport and give Doug the ticket to take to Missy. He got in, and watched Gabrielle as she helped Cuddy go through the luggage to make sure that they had everything.

***************

Gabrielle and Wilson had agreed to share a room so that House and Cuddy could have on to themselves. They were getting married the first day there and then using what ever time wasn't used with conferences as they're honeymoon. "We're going to have Rachel in here with us tonight," Gabrielle said as she pulled a journal out of her bag and set it on the table beside her bed.

Wilson, without turning around raised his eyebrows. "Do you really think so? By the way House was talking Cuddy hasn't been able to be out of the same room with her after that whole thing with Mike."

"Well," Gabrielle started as she sat down and faced him. "She's gotten better, a lot better. The time that I was there she slept through the night, well, as far as I know and I didn't hear about her freaking out or anything."

Wilson turned and looked to her. "How was your father this morning?" It was random in it's placement in the conversation, but really it had been something on his mind all morning. He didn't want this to all suddenly become the day that ruined both House's and Cuddy's lives.

Gabrielle looked up and sighed. "Honestly? Cuddy seemed more nervous than he did." Gabrielle looked off to the side and shrugged. "But you know how he tries to cover everything."

"You think I should go watch him?" Wilson asked.

"Yeah, and I should probably go talk to Cuddy," Gabrielle said. With that, they both headed for the door and walked across the hall to the room that House and Cuddy were staying in. Gabrielle knocked on the door. "May I come in please?"

Cuddy opened the door. "Hey," she casually greeted. Her eyes were filled with an undertone of nervousness. She stepped out into the hall and slightly closed the door behind her. "Greg is trying to get Rachel to take her nap."

Wilson and Gabrielle both laughed at the idea of House with a baby. They had both seen him with Rachel a couple of times, but it was still weird for them.

House sat on the side of the bed while he leaned on the small cradle before him. Rachel had calmed down as she had his finger in her mouth. "I don't see why you h ad to cry so much. It's not like you actually have problems yet." He sighed as he sat up. "I'd hate to see you if something bad actually happened to you, like a minor paper cut or something like that, which in your case would be a national emergency." Rachel started to cry again. "Really kid? You're not the one taking in miss emotional and mini me out there, I am." He turned and looked towards the door. "It's not like I haven't planned on doing so yet." It was obvious to him who was there, and that they both wanted to know how he was handing the wedding idea. Quickly, he pulled a pacifier out of Rachel's bag and held it up over the cradle. "I'm going to try some new and out there invention." He stood up and slowly removed his finger and replaced it with the pacifier. He went to walk away, but the little baby grabbed onto his finger. He stopped and looked back to see the big blue eyes watching him. He just sighed and sat back down. "That's how you want to play huh?"

Wilson walked through the doorway and sat down next to House. "How's it going?" he asked.

House looked over. It was hard for him to really sum up any of his feelings at the moment. "I feel fine if that's what you mean." There was the usual sarcasm that lined his voice.

Wilson sighed. "You're not nervous?"

House shrugged. "Why should I be?"

"House!" Wilson said. "You're taking a big step today! You're getting married!" He furrowed his brow. "Wait, you are getting married aren't you?"

House just looked up to him with a hidden doubtfulness in his eyes.

Cuddy stepped out into the hall with Gabrielle as she closed the door behind her. She knew that Wilson had wanted to talk to House and thought that they should be able to talk alone. Gabrielle motioned for her to follow her into her room, so she walked in and sat down on the bed.

"How do you feel about today?" Gabrielle asked as she sat down on the bed opposite from Wilson's.

Cuddy sighed. "Well." There was something wrong and she had sensed it earlier when they had just gotten onto the plane. She looked up to Gabrielle. "I don't think we're going to go through with it. I know your father is hard to understand, and that he covers things up, but he didn't seem any different this morning than he did a month ago or two months ago."

Gabrielle casually nodded. "Okay," she simply replied.

Cuddy's eyes widened as she furrowed her brow. "Okay!? He doesn't want to marry me! I think that's saying a lot."

Gabrielle just looked over. "What is marriage anyways?"

"Really?" Cuddy was not in the mood for any annoyance from anyone.

"No, really," Gabrielle stood up and went to go sit beside Cuddy. "Besides a legal document stating that you two are husband and wife what is a marriage?"

Cuddy looked up at her and deeply thought for a moment. "Where are you going with this?"

Gabrielle slightly smiled to Cuddy, giving her some look as if the answer should be fairly obvious. "Its a promise. Its the other person telling you that you can count on them being there when you need them. Its the other person guaranteeing that they can be trusted with anything you tell them and that they'll love you no matter what." Gabrielle sighed as she shrugged. She could see the look of heightened interest and thought on Cuddy's face. "And by what I have heard about my father, everything he has done so far is a huge step for him."

"Are you telling me we're already married?" Cuddy asked. She raised her eyebrows in suspicion. It wasn't that she didn't understand what she was saying, she just didn't know exactly how to take it. From the very beginning this girl was convinced they would make the perfect married couple, and now, all the sudden she's telling her that what they have now is fine. This whole thing was starting to make her wonder if House had talked to her about this earlier.

Gabrielle just laughed. "What I'm saying is that you both are halfway through the process, and quite frankly it's the most important part. If he ends up not going through with this wedding today, just keep in mind, he did decide to propose, he did decide to be apart of his children's lives, he did take you in when you needed it. He might say some things or do some things that will really really hurt you, but I think he could come around and make it up to you some how." Gabrielle stopped and hesitated for a brief moment. "If he tries."

Cuddy just sighed. "The only thing we haven't actually done yet is document it." It was more of a statement to herself. It was a true statement, they were beginning to need each other and to help the other. She helped him to be able to keep Gabrielle and he helped her get through the nights she was either scared or in pain. He was going to be there for their children. He had taken steps that she wasn't quite sure he could.

Gabrielle slightly laughed. "The only thing you're missing is the new last name." The young girl stood up and looked over to Cuddy. "Besides, a marriage itself isn't some kind of guarantee. Saying I do doesn't make it impossible for someone to hurt you or leave you. You just have to be able to trust them." With that, she walked out of the room.

Cuddy sat there and looked down at her engagement ring. It was true, he had already proven to her that he was willing to step out of his comfort zone for her, and he was still there.

* * *

House sat at a table outside as he sipped at a drink. All he could do was blankly stare out as the sun began to set over the ocean. He was currently at an outside bar that was connected to the hotel, surrounded by random people, some that he would see tomorrow at what ever lecture he might get dragged to. All he could hear around him were the random conversations. Some were the meaningless chatter while some were talking about business and plans.

The random conversations and interactions were the distractions from the fears in the back of his head that he had kept hidden from everyone. He was afraid to get married to Cuddy, but he was afraid to lose her. Everything around him was changing so drastically and quickly it was almost too hard for him to grasp. He made himself buy the new house and he had forced himself into buying an engagement ring. The last thing he wanted to do right now was hurt Cuddy, but there was no other way.

Even though she had never came out and said it, he knew that she had some expectations that he couldn't live up to. She wants him to be a father to her children. Deep down, he wanted to, but he also highly doubted himself. It was common knowledge that history repeats itself, and with his history, he hated to chance it.

Reflecting on himself, he thought over all the trouble he had caused and how it had hurt others. One time that stood out over the rest was all the trouble with Tritter. He was a drug addict, a selfish bastard, an ass, and a coward, and right now he didn't know if he should really put his own children through some of the stuff that he had put Cuddy through in the past.

"Hey, its gimpy the boy wonder."

House looked up and saw Gabrielle taking the seat next to him. "Keep it up and you'll be needing to borrow one of my canes."

Gabrielle gave him her best puppy dog look. "You'd ruin the life of your own flesh and blood?" Even though she was kidding, she could tell by the way he staring that she had hit a sore spot. Her expression softened. "Hey, if I went too far I'm sorry." House turned forward and looked down towards his drink. "You're worried about the kids aren't you?" Gabrielle asked.

"Yep," he said and then took a drank before turning to her. "I'm afraid I might become Mr. Hyde."

Gabrielle rolled her eyes. "As if I'm really that dumb." She sighed and leaned on the table towards him. "You know, I did talk to Cuddy earlier, and if you're afraid to get married, or even just don't feel like it, she's okay with that."

"Why did she say that?" he asked.

Gabrielle shrugged. "She doesn't want to find out that you've just left her." She awaited for a reaction or something from House, but there was nothing. All he did was look back down at the table. "Look, I'm not quite sure of the things that happened between you two before I got here, but you obviously couldn't have hurt her that badly if she is here right now waiting to be your wife."

"Yeah," he sighed as he looked up. "But life's never that simple when you let emotions get involved."

"Well, then that just proves it more that she wants to be with you. I don't want to know what happened and I don't need to, but I know you have no problem saying anything so I could imagine." Gabrielle stood up. "Anyways, I do think that you should go talk to Cuddy before you do anything stupid and hurt her again."

House just sat there and blankly stared as he was in deep thought. He hadn't even noticed that Gabrielle had left him. In his mind, it really did make more sense for him to just find a way off the island and run away, but right now, there was just too much at stake. Without any second thoughts, he stood up and finished his drink and then headed back towards the hotel.

******************

Cuddy sat in the chair in the corner of the room as she flipped aimlessly through the channel on the TV. A dim orange light flooded over the room through the window. The dim lighting fit almost perfectly with her mood, melancholy. It wasn't so much that House might not want to marry her, it was that he wasn't telling her. This was leading her to expect him to just run away and leave her.

The door opened causing her to jump and look over. She saw House carefully step in and close the door behind him. "Hey," she said without any emotion.

"Lisa?" He went and sat down on the bed. He was about to do something that he had never imagined himself doing before. She was watching him and awaiting his answer. Her grey eyes were almost piercing through him as he fumbled to gather meaningful words. He had all the sarcastic jokes and remarks that he ever needed, but this was unnatural for him. Something like this took some thought. "I know that I proposed to you, and I know that we're going to become parents."

"Well, that's good," she said. She knew exactly where this was going. It did hurt her that he didn't want to get married right now, and she wished that they could, but he was still there and she did not want to ruin that by pushing him into something that he's not ready for yet.

"Yeah," he hesitated as looked towards the window. "I can't go through with the marriage. Not now."

Cuddy tightly closed her eyes as teas formed. Nodding, she opened her eyes. "Okay." And it simply was just okay. There was nothing that she could say beyond that.

House looked up in shock. "That's it? No arguing? No yelling?"

Cuddy wiped her eyes. "Greg, if you're not ready, your not ready. I have no right to force you into a lifelong commitment."

House knew better than to go further into anything when there was nothing there. "Okay," he simply responded.

"But I do have a question for you," she said as she tried to dry her eyes. House just looked up to her. "How do you feel about Rachel?"

House shrugged. It was something that he really hadn't given much thought about. "I'll watch her, but that kid'll put anything in her mouth. I'd keep her away from the boys when she gets older."

Cuddy just rolled her eyes and ignored the comment. "I want you to be a father to her. I mean, legally as in go down to the courthouse and sign the papers and all of that stuff."

House was taken aback by all of this. "You know, we will be in the same house all the time now, I don't think it's necessary."

"Greg," Cuddy started. "She's adopted, and it would just make me feel better if you would. It would be a way of showing me that you won't just ignore her existence. I want you to be a father to her. I love her and don't want to see her get hurt."

House sighed and looked down. It was hard for him to say no. She had acted as a mother to Gabrielle, and right now, she wanted a father for her daughter. The only thing was, she didn't want Rachel getting hurt while just a little bit ago he was worried about all four of them getting hurt by him. "Sure," he said without really thinking about it. "The three other's have me as a biological one, guess it can't hurt for the fourth one to have me legally." All in all, it was starting to seem to him that it really didn't matter. Like he had said earlier, he was going to be living with her and playing daddy anyways.

"Really?" Cuddy asked. "I mean, that's what I wanted you to say, but I didn't expect it so quickly."

"It's not like I'm only going to see her once in a while. I'll be a father to her no matter what. Signing papers won't really make a difference," House said.

Cuddy was staring to wonder why he wouldn't go through with the marriage then. They were living together, she was having his kids. The only thing that would be different would be that signed paper, but she didn't want to ruin the moment. Instead, she just smiled. "Thank you." She got up and went over and kissed him. "I'm going to go see how Wilson and Gabi are doing with Rachel," she said and then left.

House stood up and limped over to the window. He leaned against the wall and looked out at was now the night sky. "Yep," he said. This was how it was going to be from now on. He was going to be a father and eventually a husband.

**THE END**

**There will be a sequel, I'm not sure when, but there will be one. I would like to thank everyone that has reviewed and I ask for people to please review this chapter and maybe give me some idea that I could use in the sequel. **

**Finally, I'd like to thank Simone, Nikki, Cora, Stacey and Danielle for helping me to write this. **


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